Not Quite According to Plan
by Siriusgirl1
Summary: Her father often said that things didn't always go according to plan. Variables, both obvious and unforeseen, could change the most carefully thought out plans. She had no idea that she would, one day, become one such variable in the plans of a Pureblood.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

Well, I suppose I'll start this off by stating that this is my first attempt at a story in this fandom –or rather, my first more reasonable attempt at a story in this fandom. It might not make much sense now, at the beginning –maybe especially in this first chapter- but things will get better. This chapter is a sort of...feeler, I suppose, for me to gauge certain things, such as whether I am heading in the right track or not.

As for the story itself...well, I suppose that it will be AU, but only because I will be introducing a handful of original characters. Since the manga is not over yet, whatever I decide to write will most probably be contradicted when the more recent chapters come out. The storyline will pretty much remain faithful to the manga of '_Vampire Knight'_ but with the introduction of this new character (and a few others), I will have to change a few of the events.

Um...what else...? I think that's it for now. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter, or at least tell me what you think of it.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing that relates to/concerns _'Vampire Knight'_ –it all belongs to Hino Matsuri.

* * *

_She was running. Her breaths, rushed and pained, came out before her in briefly visible huffs. Her body ached, and each movement caused breathless whimpers to escape her lips. But she didn't stop. She couldn't stop, not unless she wanted...she wanted to end up like her father..._

_Pursing her lips together, she managed to hold back the sob that was building up in her throat. Lilac eyes filled with tears despite this effort, and yet she continued with her mad run, her innate instincts telling her that the key to her survival was to put as much distance as she could between her and the wrecked, _violated_ house and its...occupants. _

_As the cold winds bit at her cheeks and every other bit of her exposed skin, she bit on the inside of her mouth, hearing her father's words in her mind; her father's words that urged her on even if she couldn't feel her legs anymore...even if her nose had gone numb. _

'Run, Yuzara!' _he had said, what seemed like years ago, as he shoved her away, _'Whatever you do, keep running... You must stay away from these men for as long as you can... you must not let them catch you...' _He had said more, she knew, for she heard him, but it had been muffled as she had begun her run. And she had had enough sense to refrain from halting and asking him what he had said. _

_Her cold and tired legs gave out from under her, sending her tumbling onto the snow-covered ground with a strangled cry. She ached all over, but the thought _'I must run...!' _ricocheted around in her mind, and she didn't allow herself the luxury of staying still. No, she pulled herself first to her knees and then to her feet, wobbling all the way, as she continued forward. _

_Four steps later, she was back on the ground, face buried in the soft, cold snow. Strands of her silvery hair were splayed around her on the ground, uncomfortably absorbing the dampness of the snow, but she remained unmoving. Tears of fright and exhaustion slipped down her cheeks, slowly freezing in the harsh winter weather, but she could not find the energy in her to lift her face and use her hand to wipe them away. All that she knew was that she had stopped running. _

_It was cold, her body ached, and she had stopped running._

_The bad men were coming, and she had stopped running._

'P-Papa... help me... p-please...' _was the last coherent plea in her head, before her body went slack and her eyes slid shut. _

* * *

**Chapter One**: **Discussions All Around**

The car travelled at a reasonable speed, providing its passengers with a comfortable enough ride –except for when the elderly chauffer failed to avoid the potholes on the rarely used, dilapidated road. Seated in the back of the roomy vehicle was a bespectacled, fair haired man. The ever present smile was indeed still on his lips as he stared out of the window, absently taking in the scenery that was being passed. His companion, who in contrast was dark-haired and looking rather bored, sat with an elbow resting against the car door as he leaned his head against the propped up hand.

"Alright, I'm going to ask you this just once more, Cross," he grumbled, as he fixed his one blue eye on his companion. "Where the hell are we going?"

The bespectacled brunet's smile widened slightly; and with good reason, as this latest inquiry was the _sixth_ that he had received from the man.

"You did not need to tag along, Touga-kun," he said, cheerily. "I certainly didn't ask you to come..."

"Yeah, but I chose to come anyway," muttered dark-haired Yagari Touga. "So...?"

Cross Kaien shook his head as he turned his eyes away from the scenery outside, so he could look at his friend –and current staff member.

"It's nowhere important," he said, after a moment's pause. His smile widened some more as he saw Touga's eyebrows twitching.

"You're telling me that the reason you cancelled all your 'other appointments' for the day is merely because you wanted to...check out some random place that's far from civilization?" The disbelief in his tone would not have been evident to anyone who did not know him well. Having worked with him in the Hunters Association for many a year, the brunet was, unfortunately, someone who turned out to know him well.

Kaien nodded.

"Yup," he said, cheerily. "Even a wonderful Chairman like me needs a break, you know, Touga-kun!"

"You're unbelievable..." muttered the dark haired Hunter, shaking his head. Silence fell upon the pair once more, as they each stared out of the respective windows they were seated by. "Fine. Keep your secrets then, Cross," said Touga, after a minute or two, when the Chairman continued to remain quiet. "I just want to know one thing; does this...trip have anything to do with the Vampires? With Kuran and whatever the hell he's planning? With what you _know_ he's planning?"

Kaien blinked, his eyes large and innocent as he turned to his friend.

"Planning? Ahaha, Touga-kun, I'm afraid you're mistaken... what on earth could Kaname-kun be planning?"

"I don't particularly _care_ what he's planning, Cross, and you know this. But I warn you, do not take my indifference for a lack of intelligence," barked out the dark haired Hunter, his one eye flashing slightly as he stared hard at his friend.

Kaien pouted.

"How rude! To think that you think Kaname-kun is up to something, and that I would know about it!" The pout deepened, "Especially when all Kaname-kun has done is ensure that the Night Class remains under control and behaves appropriately..."

The renowned Hunter snorted as he rolled his single eye.

"As I told you before, I don't care about whatever it is that _you_ and Kuran are planning..." he trailed off, a grim expression appearing on his face. "Just as long as it does not involve Zero getting _more_ involved than he already is." The silent threat in the statement did not go over the head of Cross Academy's Chairman, who sobered immediately.

"Touga," he started, a small frown on his lips, "we never intended, that is, Zero was never meant-" He stopped when his friend waved a hand casually.

"Like I said," he repeated, "I don't _care_. And that means I don't want to hear excuses or anything of the sort."

"But-"

"Save it, Kaien."

Silence reigned in the back of the car once more, although this time, it lasted for a bit longer than it had before.

"I would never intentionally put Zero at risk, Touga." The Chairman's voice was quiet and serious as he spoke. "He may not believe it or even approve of it, but I _do_ think of him as family." He narrowed his eyes at the derisive snort that left the dark-haired Hunter's lips.

"Is that why you've allowed him to get so close to a certain little princess? _Knowing_ how he hates her kind?"

"Touga-"

"-No need to worry, I haven't told anyone about it." Cross Kaien leaned heavily against the back of the seat, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

"What do you know of the events that took place nine years ago?" he asked, his voice low. He sensed his friend's gaze on him but said nothing further.

"That depends on what events you're talking about." There was a brief pause, before the dark-haired man spoke again. "You're speaking about the events concerning the younger branch of the Kiryuu family?" Kaien nodded. "Long story short, well-respected Hunter Kiryuu Ryo and his family were attacked by rogue Vampires. They were murdered, brutally, leaving us with almost nothing to identify their remains with."

Kaien, who had opened his eyes and glanced at him, saw the grimace on his face as he recalled memories of that day, nine years ago. Choosing to say nothing to acknowledge his friend's reaction, he nodded absently instead.

"There were no survivors, according to the reports...right?"

Touga, on the verge of nodding his affirmation, suddenly glanced at the brunet out of the corner of his one eye, a questioning expression on his face.

"You believe otherwise...?" It wasn't an incredulous question, neither was it mocking; no, it was a simple question laced with mild curiosity, and Kaien nodded in reply.

"Something does not add up with the reports that were filed," he murmured, eyes taking on a far-away look. Touga eyed him carefully before he brought himself to speak up.

"You think the kid survived?"

The Chairman cringed slightly.

"I don't think she was murdered with her parents," he countered, softly.

There was a closed expression on the dark-haired man's face.

"The best of the Hunters' Association scouted the area for weeks, Kaien," he said, reverting back to his habit of using his friend's first name when he was serious. "Although they found no evidence to suggest that she was killed with her parents, there was also none to suggest that she escaped."

"And therefore, it cannot be determined that she did die, can it?" questioned Kaien, "Based on such evidence?"

When his companion spoke again, there was something akin to disapproval laced in his deep voice.

"If she was alive we would have found her... heck, do you think Kiryuu Hiro would have reacted the way he did if he thought his niece still lived?" Touga shook his head. "Do you think _I_ would have given up looking for her if there was the smallest chance of her being alive?"

There was a sympathetic expression on the brunet's face as he heard the dull tone in his friend's voice. He remembered how his companion had taken the deaths of the Kiryuu family; true, he had been occupied with the care of Zero and Ichiru when it had happened, but he knew that their cousin had been just as important to the gruff, dark-haired Hunter as they had been –no, as they _still_ were.

"You did all that you could do, Touga," he said, bringing himself out of his reverie. "Like you said, there was a lack of conclusive evidence. You did what you could, and rightly stopped when nothing more could be done."

His friend snorted again, tossing his head back and causing his unruly mass of dark hair to fall into his face.

"I could have been there with them," he muttered. "As experienced as Ryo and Sakura were, we should have realized that the fact that they had to go into hiding meant that there were some pretty dangerous folks after their blood..."

"Touga..."

"Meh, doesn't matter anymore," he continued, lightly, as he waved a hand. "I was -the _Association_ was remiss in their actions and that caused them to be easily killed... And five years later, the Association continued to fail to live up to expectations, allowing...the remaining Kiryuu adults to meet an unfortunate end...and as for their kids...well, we all know what happened to them..."

The bitter smile that had tugged Touga's lips upward pained his brunet friend, but he said nothing –simply because he knew that there was nothing left to say, for he had said it all during the days and weeks that passed after said events had taken place. If it hadn't worked completely then, then it certainly wouldn't do much now.

With an inward sigh, he turned to gaze unseeingly out of the window once more. It was at that moment that he resolved not to inform the dark haired Hunter about the curious reports he had received, reports of sightings of a silvery-haired young girl who looked suspiciously like someone thought to be dead. For even though he had looked into this matter for years now, ever since the...oddity of the attack on Zero's aunt, uncle and cousin, he had wondered if the little girl had truly been finished off with her parents, or if she had somehow managed to escape. It certainly wasn't _easy_ to kill a Kiryuu, after all. And adding to that the fact that he was beginning to suspect the motives of the Hunters' Association...well, it didn't make for a very pretty picture.

_Let's hope then_, he mused, _that, just this once, my hunches are proved correct. That just this once, the reports hold a grain of truth...for the Association would rarely classify false reports as 'highly confidential', would they?_

Clearing his thoughts, he looked at the elderly chauffer when he announced that they would be arriving at the village in just less than half an hour, before he returned his attention to the scenery outside.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at Cross Academy:**

"Ah, Kaname, you wanted to see me?"

The mahogany haired Pureblood slowly raised his head when he saw his golden haired classmate's head peeking out from around his room door. Naturally, he had sensed the aristocrat's approach minutes ago, and in truth, he did not need to acknowledge him in anyway –given his superior status- but he did so all the same, nodding slightly at the cheerful male.

"The Chairman has left the Academy, has he not?"

Ichijou Takuma, the Vice-President of the Night Class, nodded, as he shut his friend's door behind him.

"Yes, he has," he confirmed. "Yagari-sensei left with him." He paused as the Pureblood lowered his gaze to his hands, or rather, to the hand that was twirling the silver letter opener that was held in it. "Is something wrong, Kaname? I don't mean to pry into your private affairs, but you seem...troubled."

The almost devastatingly handsome brunet gave a lazy shrug in reply, choosing to keep his attention fixed on the letter opener. Ichijou stared at him for a moment longer, half-wondering if he would get some form of verbal reply, no matter how improbable that was. When he didn't get any other reply, he sighed before taking a few steps towards the Pureblood's desk.

"I get it, I get it," he said, striking a rather dramatic pose as the Pureblood looked up upon his approach, "you don't want to tell me. It's alright, Kaname, it's not like I'm going to get angry with you for doubting me or anything." He beamed down at his friend's distinctly cool expression. "But since you don't feel like being much of a conversationalist today...may I ask what made you want to see me at this early hour?"

Kuran Kaname stopped twirling the letter opener in his hand as he moved his gaze towards the top of his desk, looking up once more only to quirk an eyebrow at his friend when he plopped himself uninvited down on one of the chairs opposite him. Ichijou smiled brightly at him, knowing that the Pureblood wouldn't hurt him for the act –he had only being behaving in that manner for as long as he had known the brunet after all.

"Before he left, Chairman Cross requested my presence in his office," said the Pureblood Vampire, softly. "He had a few...intriguing things to discuss with me. Things concerning a...possible new entry, here at the Academy..."

Ichijou's green eyes widened at that.

"Really?" He leaned forward slightly. "Night or Day class?" He tilted his head to a side. "Male or female? Not that it matters, of course, because either way, they'd either be another enthusiastic fan or devoted follower..." He laughed when he saw the expression on his friend's face. "Ahaha, sorry, Kaname...please continue."

Kaname was quiet for a moment longer, seemingly pondering on what he should say.

"From what he said, he could not confirm the fact that we _would_ have a new student," he said, slowly. "But I gathered that he was speaking of a female student. One whom...he must care for."

"Care for?" echoed Ichijou, seeing the way his friend's face darkened for a moment as he nodded. "The Chairman cares for _all_ of his students, Kaname. There is no reason to be fearful of-" He stopped when he saw his friend's ruby-tinged eyes fix upon his emerald green pair.

"There is something different with this one," he said, his voice coming out as a hiss, "I cannot say why, but he seemed a bit more...concerned than usual. It was almost as though he was afraid, as though he was _nervous_ of something."

"Perhaps it was a matter pertaining to the Hunters' Association?"

The Pureblood shook his head.

"He does not work for them anymore," he said. "And in any case, he would have informed me of whatever it was, if that was the case."

"He does not have to tell you _everything_, Kaname," reasoned Ichijou, raising his hands up in defence when the Pureblood narrowed his eyes at him. "Unless it is something that concerns you or Yuuki-chan –or us Vampires, of course- the Chairman is under no obligation to inform you of the Association's business, is he?"

"He would not betray me, if that is what-"

"-Kaname, Kaname, of _course_ he wouldn't betray you. Chairman Cross is too good for something like that." Ichijou frowned. "Why are you so worked up about this, Kaname? It does not seem a serious matter to me."

"The last time we had a new student was when Hiou Shizuka was...around."

"Ah, but Maria-san was not purely evil, was she? Besides, Shizuka-sama is dead now, as you very well know."

"Do the 'dead' truly stay dead?"

The golden haired Vampire's expression hardened when he understood what exactly, or _who_ exactly his friend was speaking of.

"If they are indeed dead, then yes, they do stay dead. But the one whom you speak of is not exactly dead, is he?"

"I do not wish to speak of that matter, Takuma."

Ichijou nodded quickly at the sharp command.

"Of course, Kaname," he said. "Forgive me."

Silence fell between the pair, as each allowed themselves to be lost in their own thoughts.

"I asked to see you to give you two tasks," said the Pureblood President of the Night Class, breaking the silence. Ichijou nodded, sitting straighter in his seat. "First, I wish for you to see to it that one of the spare rooms is prepared, should we need it. Preferably a spare room on one of the upper levels of this dorm."

Ichijou nodded, although his brows were furrowed together.

"So the new student will be a Vampire?" He looked slightly more puzzled when the Pureblood shook his head.

"No. The Chairman was not sure himself, but he seemed to think that it would be a normal human." He knew what his friend was wondering, and sighed once more. "He apparently wants to ensure that this...person's presence remains hidden –for what, I do not know." He paused. "He was being very vague about the whole thing, Takuma...and while it is not unusual for him to, it is intriguing. Especially when you tell me that Yagari Touga has chosen to accompany him..."

Ichijou shifted in his seat.

"Uh, I wouldn't be too worried about Yagari-sensei's involvement, Kaname. He seemed to just want to get away from the school for a bit, you know?"

But the Pureblood was not appeased –and the golden haired Vampire had expected that much.

"What is the other task that you had for me, Kaname?"

"I want you to tell Seiren that I wish for her to inform me when the Chairman gets back. The _moment_ the Chairman gets back."

Ichijou nodded, grimacing at the thought of having to wake up a usually grumpy Seiren, when he happily remembered that she didn't sleep much anyway, as of late; not when Kaname was awake and she was scouting the area around them to make sure he was safe. The short-haired Vampire, who posed as a bodyguard for the Pureblood, was dangerous enough as it was...but she was most _certainly_ not a morning person; as Aidou had unfortunately found out firsthand –much to his dismay and horror; and anyone who dared disturb her regretted it quickly.

As though sensing what his friend was thinking, Kaname managed a small smirk at him. "Seiren headed off to get some sleep about an hour or so ago, I believe...After her usual rounds."

Ichijou's eyes widened in comic horror.

"O-oh..." With a pout at his friend, he saw the curt nod that was sent his way and immediately recognized it for what it was -a dismissal. Standing up, he smiled at his brunet friend. "Well then, I had best be off. If I do not make it through the next few minutes Kaname, the task of informing my _endearing _grandfather of my early and completely unwarranted demise will land on you. Please see to it that it is done." With a cheery wave, he headed towards the door, closing it softly behind him when he was through.

Kaname stared after his friend for a long moment, before he began twirling the silver letter opener in his hand once more, as he wondered what the Chairman had intentionally gotten himself involved in _this _time. Whatever it was, as long as it did not hurt the Night Class or his dear girl, he would not have anything against it.

* * *

**A/N**

And there you have it –that was chapter one. Weeell, I hope that was alright. As I said before, it's my first time delving into _Vampire Knight_ fanfiction, but I just had to get the idea out of my head –it was literally killing me! If things seem confusing right now, I apologize. I can only say that they will improve as the story progresses. Sigh.

Well, that's it from me now.

See ya soon!

Siriusgirl1


	2. Of Not Too Pleased Hunters

**A/N**

Yay, I got my first review for this fic. Many thanks to **flaming-amber**. I hope that the story continues to hold you interest and please you –I'll do my best to make sure it does!

And now, on with the second chapter.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own a single thing pertaining to _'Vampire Knight'_, as I am sure you are all aware. It's all Hino Matsuri's wonderful work.

* * *

**Chapter Two**: **Of Not Too Pleased Hunters**

The scowl on the dark haired Hunter's lips deepened as he saw the fearful glances that were being snuck his way. Being a realist, he knew that his reputation as –arguably- one of the best vampire Hunters in the present day was both a form of blessing _and_ a curse. It was a blessing because it made sure that he was not troubled and was allowed to keep his privacy...but the reputation became a curse when he couldn't even walk around what had once been his hometown without sensing an increase of fear in the people around him.

And where his reputation wasn't known (such as in this small town in the middle of nowhere), his appearance was all it took to strike some form of fear in people. Yes, he looked intimidating –simply because he did not forever have a smile on his lips like the silly Chairman and the equally ridiculous gold-haired, Vampire in the Night Class- and yes, the black eye-patch over his right eye _was _unusual; but really, for people to fear him based on his appearance? That was ludicrous.

Resisting the urge to growl out loud, he turned to his brunet companion with a not-too-polite question on his lips, when he saw the empty spot where he was _sure_ said companion had been in under a minute ago.

"What the-?" Coming to a halt in the middle of the market area, he looked around, willing himself to spot his friend. Honestly, could he _not_ stay in one place for more than a minute?

Huffing when he spotted the Chairman, he briskly walked up to where he was speaking to a middle aged man at a...vegetable stall. "If you lean forward any further, you're going to squash the broccoli," he commented dryly, quirking a brow when the bespectacled brunet jumped.

"Ah, Touga-kun!" he exclaimed with a pout. "That wasn't very nice, you know..."

"I would consider being nice if you wouldn't run off to speak to random people every other minute." Touga glanced at the middle aged stall owner, impassively taking note of the barely concealed interest with which he observed the two of them. "Are you going to tell me what're we here for?" he asked, not once taking his eyes off the pale haired man –there was just _something_...off about him, he was sure of it.

Cross Kaien scratched the back of his head.

"No reason," he commented, easily, before he gestured around him with his arms. "But now that you mention it, don't you think it will be interesting to explore the area?"

The look the Hunter sent him clearly told him that, no, he most certainly _didn't_ think that it would be 'interesting' to _friggin' explore the place_. But the Chairman wasn't the slightest bit affected by his friend's glare. "Well, I'm done here," he said, jovially, as he linked arms with his friend, "how about we go somewhere else? Hmm, I heard that there was a store here that sold the most incredible handmade jewellery..."

He tugged on the frozen Hunter's arm. "My beautiful little daughter would love something from there, I am sure...and maybe we'll find a bracelet or something for my grumpy little son...? What do you think, Touga-kun? Hmm?"

"I think that you have completely lost whatever was left of your mind," muttered the taller Hunter, and this thought was further enhanced when his friend beamed at him before proceeding to drag him away from the vegetable stall.

"Thank you for your time!" he called out over his shoulder, as he waved at the stall owner. They had just turned a corner –lined with stalls selling various fabrics- when Touga snatched his arm out of the brunet's grip.

"What the hell was that about?" he all but growled out, his one eye glinting as he stared at his companion.

"Huh? Touga-kun, I assure you --ah! Look at that scarf –it's _just_ like the one that I mistakenly disfigured last week when it was my turn to do the laundry!" And before the dark haired man could even blink, the supposedly mature Chairman of Cross Academy skipped –no, he wasn't seeing things, the man really _did_ skip- over to the poorly made stall that had caught his eye.

Stalking towards the man, he roughly grabbed his arm, a distinctly less-than-pleased expression on his face. "Touga-"

"_What_ on earth is going on?" he ground out, cutting off the ex-Hunter. "I've put up with this for long enough now, Kaien. I know you well enough to know that this trip isn't just one of your silly little 'whims'; there's a reason behind it, and you're hiding it from me. Just like you're hiding the reason as to why you've been interrogating people since we got out of the car." His eye glinted once more as he turned his head to stare at the young woman who manned the stall, seeing that she had been frightened by his behaviour.

Following his gaze, Cross smiled reassuringly at the young woman.

"Don't worry," he said, kindly, "he's usually always like this, the grumpy fellow." He shook his head in mock exasperation. "Anyway, please excuse me, I will return for the scarf later." With a last smile, he turned to his displeased friend. "Shall we go somewhere where we can talk in private, Touga-kun?"

With a grunt, the dark haired man turned on his heel and stalked down the path, stopping when the young woman spoke.

"I don't think...that you will have the...the time, Sir," she said quietly, glancing at the people around her with a somewhat worried expression on her face.

"Believe me, Ma'am, he will _make_ the time," muttered Touga, dismissing her statement and strange behaviour. Cross, on the other hand, was viewing her with a mildly thoughtful look on his face.

The mousey-haired young woman shook her head.

"No, I don't think he'll be able to," she said, cryptically. Touga found himself frowning at her once he saw the interest with which his companion was following this...conversation, of sorts. The young woman cast one more look at the other stall operators around her before she spoke up. "They are everywhere." She was sending Touga a particularly hard glance as she spoke. "_They_ have eyes everywhere..." Her eyes flickered back to Cross, pointedly.

Whereas Touga was not sure of what she was going on about, it seemed that Cross understood her statement perfectly.

"I see," he said, pushing his glasses back up along the bridge of his nose. The dark haired man glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, but could read nothing of the expression on his face, except for the fact that he knew his companion knew what was going on. And Yagari Touga did _not_ like being left out of the loop.

Cross nodded to himself. "And you know this...how?"

The young woman bit her lower lip, hesitating –and causing the dark haired Hunter to wonder what exactly she seemed to be afraid of.

"My grandfather serves as a figure of...authority here, in town," she answered, an unreadable expression passing across her face. "That is, he _served_ as a figure of authority. Until they came."

The corners of the Chairman's lips were slowly being tugged downward.

"And when exactly did 'they' arrive here?" he asked, lowering his voice and taking a step closer to the stall.

The mousey-haired young woman averted her eyes for a moment as she fiddled with the tassels of the scarf she had taken down for the enthusiastic brunet.

"Almost four years ago," she answered. "And they have been here ever since. They...never make themselves _known_, but we know who –or what- they are..."

Touga eyed the young woman warily; he had not managed to survive thus far in his career by trusting what he was told by every single person he came across after all.

"They?" he echoed, his eye narrowed. "Who exactly do you -"

"-Is there anything else that you can tell me?" cut in Cross, eyes fixed on the young woman.

She shook her head.

"No," she said. "I am afraid not." The worried expression was back on her face, and Cross sent her as reassuring a smile as he could.

"Thank you very much," he said, honestly. "You have been of great assistance to us." Bowing his head at her, he hastily turned on his heel and walked away. Touga stared after him for a moment, startled by his behaviour, before he turned to the young woman and staring at her for a brief moment, his one eye narrowed in contemplation.

"Would you like to buy something, Sir?" she questioned politely, bringing him out of his thoughts. Shaking his head, he bowed his head to her as was polite custom, before he followed his friend, hands stuffed in his pockets and wondering what he was missing.

* * *

**Cross Academy:**

The short brunette ignored the surprised looks she was receiving from her classmates as she sped by them, her warm brown eyes narrowed in effort and concentration. She was sure she heard her class representative yelling for her to "Come _back! _Class is _this_ way –CROSS!!" but she didn't even bother to slow down enough to give him any kind of answer, nor did she acknowledge the other murmurs from her classmates.

No, she ignored all of this, for she was intent on _getting to Kiryuu _damned_ Zero_.

She couldn't believe his _nerve_, to walk into class, take one look at the substitute teacher (since Yagari-sensei had somehow disappeared) and then promptly turn on his heel and walk back in the direction he had entered the class from.

In other words, he was skipping class again. Right when he had promised her that he wouldn't do it too! _Ohh_, when she got her hands on him, he'd regret it alright!

Honestly, how could he think of skipping class like that? Of leaving her to suffer through the boring class –and to undoubtedly somehow land herself in detention again- all by herself?

Some friend _he_ was!

Shaking her head, she headed towards the Academy gates, knowing that the only other place –other than the stables- that he would disappear off to was into town.

* * *

_When she opened her eyes, the first thing that her blurry, tired mind registered was the warmth that encased her. It was a comforting warmth, one that her small, frozen body accepted without question. Her heavy eyelids were slowly fluttering shut when her ears caught the sound of low murmuring. Thin brows furrowing, she focused on the murmuring as best as she could, but could not understand what it was that was being said. _

_And all of a sudden, the panic was back. _

_Why was she lying down? Why was she not moving? She was told to run...! Or else the bad men would get her –and possibly do to her what they had done to...to-_

_A whimper left her pursed lips against her wishes, and she froze when the murmurs came to an abrupt halt. The sound of heavy footsteps reached her ears as someone made their way towards her. She wanted to struggle, she wanted to move her arms and legs, but she couldn't. She couldn't move at all, no matter how desperately she willed her body to move. _

_Lilac eyes clouded with fear as she bit down on her lip to prevent more frightened whimpers from escaping them as the footsteps drew nearer. This was it; they were going to –she had let down her father, her dear, dear father... and...and-_

_The face was blurred as it hovered over her still abed figure, and that did nothing to quell her fright. But she fought against the tears that she knew were pooling in her eyes. Papa...Papa had been brave, even when he was being hurt by those men. Surely she could at least try and do the same? Since she had already let Papa down?_

_She flinched as fingers brushed aside sweaty strands of her silvery hair, before a rough, lined hand was placed against her forehead, not having the strength –or enough control over her body- to clench her hands into fists underneath the piles of blankets that lay on top of her. _

_This was...it, then._

_A voice was speaking...it was asking her something, but it took her a moment to realize that _she_ was being questioned. She probably would have attempted to answer if the lump in her throat had not become too painful to do anything but swallow. The lined hand moved from her forehead and began to stroke the top of her damp silver head instead. It was an action that mama and papa had often done, particularly when she was frightened by something or the other._

_Something wet slid out of her opened eyes, sliding into her hair._

_Mama and Papa would never be able to do that for her again..._

_...No one would do that for her again, because she had...stopped running..._

_The voice was asking her if she was alright, but she did not answer. Despite the warmth she had been provided with, her heart felt cold...and her sides hurt. She gave a start when a hand was slipped underneath her head and as another hazy figure raised her so that she was in a half seated position, supported by the...two strangers._

_Strangers who wanted to kill her. _

_Strangers who were also the bad men from before._

_A different voice gently attempted to soothe her with whispers as her jaw was slowly pried open, before a small cup was placed against her lips. The liquid that seeped into her opened mouth was too hot for her tongue, and she flinched once more as she felt the scalding heat on her tongue. A quick apology was muttered, and the cup was taken away after she had had two more sips. She was gently lowered back onto the pillow and the warm covers were adjusted around her small frame. _

_Despite her fear, she soon saw that her vision was getting a bit clear...for the two hazy figures were not so hazy anymore. Squinting in an attempt to see better despite her fear, she saw that the figure on her right was...a face. A crinkled, heavily lined face. Bright eyes watched her from the face, but she could not make out any more details. When she tried to focus on the second figure, she found that her vision was soon becoming as hazy as it had been before. She could only make out another pair of bright eyes, before a wave of tiredness washed over her. _

_She struggled against it, not wanting to be sleeping in the presence of the bad men who were out to...do to her what they did to her family. But she could not fight it, no matter how hard she tried. _

_She caught a glimpse of a pair of bright eyes on her right, as a hand started stroking the top of her head once more. _

_Soon, her eyelids were closing; slowly, but surely closing. _

_It was wrong, and it was certainly not smart...but she was tired, and warm, and frightened...and she...could not fight...the drowsiness ..._

* * *

When young Cross Yuuki reached the town that lay within easy reach of the Academy, it didn't take her too long to find her fellow prefect and best friend. Really, if he wanted to hide from anyone out looking for him, he shouldn't have stopped at his favourite restaurant/cafe –the one that was famous for its noodles, by the way...noodles that he absolutely _loved_.

Smiling at a friendly waiter, she soon spotted a familiar mop of silver hair, seated at a booth in the far corner. Feeling the sweat trickling down the back of her neck and then the spasms of over exertion on her tired legs, she stalked over towards him, hands on her hips and intent on giving him one nice, long lecture.

"What do you want Yuuki?"

She stopped short and stared at the back of his head in dismay.

"Wha –how –how can you always _do_ that?!" she spluttered, flustered at her inability to catch him off-guard yet again. Kiryuu Zero shrugged as he automatically moved over on the cushioned bench he was seated on, giving her room.

"...Vampire, remember?" he muttered bitterly, under his breath, and Yuuki forgot her indignation as she plopped herself down on the –warm- seat he had vacated (after she looked around quickly to make sure that no one had heard him, of course).

_Oh Zero_.

"Well I'll still catch you off-guard some day," she mumbled, fidgeting in her seat.

Her friend merely grunted in reply.

"You should be back in class."

Her eyebrow twitched.

"Excuse me? _I_ should be back –why you –_you_ should be back in class too!" The silver haired boy shrugged, his lilac eyes showing his indifference to the whole matter.

"Sensei wasn't there, so there was no point," he said, as he took a sip from his iced water. Yuuki frowned.

"You could've at least let me come with you," she said, with a pout.

"What's the point? I knew you'd come after me anyway."

The brunette's mouth dropped open, and she was prepared to lecture him once more (with something along the lines of 'what kind of behaviour is _that_? I'm your best friend! Besides, what if I _hadn't_ decided to come? Huh? Huh??') when she realized that he was right. She let out a sigh as she shook her head.

"You're horrible." Her friend rolled his eyes, knowing that there was no venom to her comment –especially since she was grinning at him. "Do you reckon we'll get into trouble?"

"It'll probably be a detention or two." He shrugged. "Nothing you've never experienced before."

Yuuki stuck her tongue out at him as she looked around the restaurant, taking in the scattering of patrons who were seated at various tables and booths around them. She loved watching people, as...odd as that sounded even in her own head. She was no stalker or anything of the sort, but she found that she loved watching people interacting with each other...and then trying to guess their relationship to each other, before trying to gauge their possible emotions or feelings.

When she had mentioned this to the Chairman and to Zero, the latter had snorted at first before promptly informing her that no matter how 'dear' a friend she was, he was _not_ going to bail her out when she found herself behind bars for stalking. But that was before the Chairman had exclaimed that 'his precious daughter' needn't worry, for 'Kaname-kun' would most certainly come and free her in the blink of an eye, and they would both 'ride out into the beautiful sunset'; it was at that point that Zero had gruffly mentioned that there _was_ the possibility that he'd have been thrown in jail with her himself, as the authorities might view him as an accomplice since he hung around with her -in which case _he_ could probably get them both out without too much trouble. (She never figured out why the Chairman had had a gleeful chuckle to himself, or why Zero's cheeks had looked slightly flushed at that).

She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt an elbow nudge her side. "You're doing it again," muttered Zero, a half-amused expression on his face as she flushed.

"You'll see how interesting this is, one day," she said, as her eyes drifted to the table nearest to them, where a plump woman was seated with a group of children, trying very desperately to make sure that said children remained still while making as small a mess on the table as possible. Yuuki couldn't help but grin as one of the children flung something from his sandwich at his sister –a plea, almost, for starting a food fight. "Oooh, their mother's not going to be happy," she commented, sounding oddly...pleased.

Zero shot her a strange look before following her gaze.

"She has every right not to be," he muttered, with a lazy shrug. "Not that it's any of our business."

"Oh, you're such a grouch," complained Yuuki, drawing her eyes away from the table. "Don't tell me you've never had a food fight before?" The blank expression on her friend's face was all the answer she needed. "You haven't? Oh Zero...you don't know _what_ you're missing."

"Right," said her friend, dryly, eyeing her with mild curiosity. "I take it you've had...such fights before?"

Yuuki nodded.

"Yup, with the Chairman."

Zero rolled his eyes.

"I should have guessed." He narrowed his eyes at the playful punch his smiling friend aimed at his arm.

"It was fun, especially when the Chairman had to explain to the hired nanny why exactly my hair smelled of oyster sauce." The brunette giggled at the memory, casting a fond glance at the children opposite them (who were now being severely reprimanded by their embarrassed mother). "I wonder what it's like..." she murmured, after a while, catching her friend's attention.

"Hmm?"

"I wonder what it's like to have siblings," explained Yuuki, turning back to him. "You know, _lots_ of siblings, like them." She frowned. "Of course, I have you Zero, and it's great! But...I wonder what it'd be like to have...more of you..."

The silver haired young man raised his eyebrows at her.

"I don't think that you'd be able to put up with more than one...what was it again... 'angsty, stupid and stubborn' me..." He was rewarded with a half smile before his friend returned to her observation.

"Would you have liked to have more siblings, Zero? Other than Ichiru?"

"No."

"Aw, not even _one_ more?"

"No."

"But why?"

"Any more brothers –or sisters- would've been too much trouble."

"You're horrible," repeated Yuuki, huffing as she crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing her best-friend. Her warm brown eyes narrowed suddenly, before quickly widening once more. Her stare was making the silver haired young man a tad uncomfortable, but he wasn't going to show it. "You know what I just thought of?"

"I don't think I want to..." Zero sighed as he saw the glare being sent his way, "but you're going to tell me anyway, aren't you?"

"I'm going to ignore that comment for now," grumbled Yuuki, before brightening once more. "If you had a sister, Zero...she'd look _gorgeous_!" She wondered at the quick, startled glance her friend sent her. "What?" she asked, defensively. "The gorgeousness obviously runs in the family you know -I mean, look at _you_..."

As her friend continued to stare at her, Yuuki had to wonder at the expression that flashed across his face, before it was soon replaced by an amused half-smile –something he could pull off _very well_.

"Are you saying," he started, slowly, "that you think _I'm_ 'gorgeous'...?"

Yuuki was still for a brief moment, before a bright red flush spread across her cheeks, her mind processing the meaning of what she had said.

"I don't –I mean, it's not like I..." she trailed off, bowing her head and looking at him through a curtain of her short brown hair. "Y-You...know what I mean, right...?"

Sensing her discomfort –and not feeling too comfortable himself- Zero nodded, rolling his eyes for good measure.

"Lighten up, Yuuki," he said, exasperatedly. "Now look who can't handle a bit of teasing?"

"That wasn't funny!"

"Yeah. Whatever." Yuuki sighed, choosing her words carefully in her mind before she next spoke.

"But I really did mean what I said about your sister, Zero," she said, earnestly. "I can picture her already; she'd have hair like yours...and of course, your eyes too. She'd be gorgeous, and you'd have to peel the boys off her!" She giggled at the thought, not noticing the way the silver haired young man tensed; not noticing the undecipherable expression that swiftly crossed his face. "Oh, and she'd have a personality like..."

She didn't notice that her friend had tuned her voice out as he closed his lilac eyes. Images started to resurface in his head, blurred images; ones that were losing their focus and sharpness. There was a small child in those pictures...a small silvery-haired child. With lilac eyes.

_And_ she just so happened to be a girl.

She may not have been a 'sister' but...a cousin could be considered a sibling, right? If they were not despised or anything of the sort?

_...If they were not dead_, he thought, somewhat wearily, as he forced his eyes open again, for that was what she was; _dead_. And it was foolish of him to dwell on that aspect of the past simply because Yuuki had let her imagination run away from her.

Not feeling too pleased, he bumped his friend with his arm, effectively stopping her in mid-sentence, as he placed some money on the table.

"Let's go," he declared, when he had her attention. Her brows furrowed.

"Huh? But we still have...um, almost three hours worth of class. There's no point it returning-"

"-Let's just leave this place."

Something about the bland tone of his voice made the brunette tense up, before she nodded, sliding out of the booth seat to allow him to do the same.

"If that's what you want to do," she said, with a small smile as he stood and she linked her arm in his. "Let's go somewhere else, then. Come on!"

And so, the silver haired young man allowed himself to be dragged around town by his shorter, smaller friend, forcing old memories back into their secure, vaulted prison in the back of his mind.

* * *

**A/N**

Right, I feel that I should apologize for the length of this chapter. It is quite a bit longer than the previous one, but I didn't want to stop it at any earlier point...and I didn't want to not include any of the Zero/Yuuki bits –because they do play a big part in revealing the plot, now and as the fic progresses.

Hope that was alright.

Till the next update!

Siriusgirl1


	3. Secrets of the Hunters' Association

**A/N**

First, a thank you to **lovelyanimeangel** for the review. Hope you like this chapter as well! And second, well...here's chapter three. It's long -as usual- and unfortunately does not feature any goings on at Cross Academy -but it's all for a good reason. I think.

Right, well, hope you enjoy this next chapter.

**Disclaimer: **Hino Matsuri's - remember? Not mine.

* * *

**Chapter Three**: **Secrets of the Hunters' Association**

"Will you believe me if I were to tell you that it is not safe to discuss these matters here, Touga-kun?" questioned Cross, a somewhat unusual serious expression on his face as he observed the dark haired man leaning against the shop wall. They were in a deserted side-road –the first one that they managed to find empty, before the dark haired man had quickly begun demanding answered to his damned questions.

The sounds of what appeared to be a normal morning in town were still audible where they were, but it was muffled as they were away from the main market area.

The Hunter shrugged at his friend when he realized he wasn't going to elaborate on that.

"Do you have a logical reason for it not being safe?" he asked, slowly. His friend nodded.

"A perfectly logical reason," he said, "one which, I am afraid, was once just a guess..."

"Until that conversation with the girl at the stall?" queried Touga, smirking at the expression on the ex-Hunter's face. "I may not know what's going on, Cross, but I do have some kind of a brain."

"Of course." There was a pause. "Touga, I will explain everything –I promise- once we get out of here. I am afraid that there are...watchful eyes here, in this town, and it wouldn't do either of us any good for me to reveal everything to you and for them to hear it."

The dark haired Hunter pursed his lips together, gauging from his brunet companion's face that he was being serious; and that he desperately wanted him to understand and leave it at that. But he still had many questions to ask him...

"Would the man at the vegetable stall earlier be one of those...watchful eyes?" he asked, instead, recalling the unsettling middle aged man and his careful observation of the two of them.

Cross Kaien sent him a reluctant smile.

"Unfortunately," he said, with a curt nod. "I am afraid that I walked right into that one, without realizing it until it was too late." He sighed as he adjusted the lapel of his long coat. "I can hide my appearance well enough, as not many people have seen me in many years to be able to...recognize me..." he trailed off, "but you, on the other hand, are easily recognizable."

Touga frowned, about to make a sharp comment or two, when his mind processed his friends words.

"...Not many people would recognize you," he said, slowly, his brow slightly furrowed. "Or me, for that matter. I am not well known to normal people such as those here, and until you founded the Academy, _you_ were only well known by the Assoc--" Realization dawned on him just as the grim expression on the ex-Hunter's face confirmed the sudden thought. "Ah. I...see."

_Spies from the Association_, he thought to himself, _but why would they be here, in this particular town? What could they be keeping an eye on...? Or perhaps they are hiding something...?_ He remembered the girl at the scarf-stall had mentioned something about 'they' and how 'they' had arrived four years ago –he was willing to bet that they 'they' were the spies...but what had happened four years ago to cause the Association to send out spies?

Four years ago...well, it can't have been anything to do with the civil war of sorts that was moving along with the vampires, for the Kuran Lord and Lady were killed close to six years ago –if he had his facts right, that is. And the Council...well, they hadn't done anything outlandish or _too_ suspicious...

Then what...?

His one blue eye narrowed all of a sudden. Kiryuu Hiro and Yumi were killed four years ago; killed by the –now deceased- Pureblood Hiou Shizuka. Zero had been bitten, and Ichiru...well, he had surrendered to his darker thoughts and feelings. _But, _he wondered, confused, _of what importance would that be to the Association? _

"If you are thinking of what I _think_ you're thinking of, then you are on the right track," said Cross, suddenly interrupting his inward musings. He stared hard at the brunet.

"But what would that have to do with...anything?" he questioned, quietly.

"I will let you know in due time, Touga," said Cross, as he brushed his brown hair out of his face. "But for now, I think we should take ourselves to the residential area of the town...there are some questions that are yet to be answered after all."

The famous Hunter frowned.

"Yeah, well, _all_ of my questions are yet to be answered," he muttered, as his friend grinned at him. "Fine, fine, let's...go do whatever it is you came here to do, and _then_ take the time to have things expla--" Stopping in mid-sentence, the dark haired man quickly pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against and, before his companion could even blink, he had moved to the far end of the side-street and vaulted over a stack of empty crates before briefly disappearing from his friend's sight.

Cross gave a start as he moved forward.

"Touga?" he queried, tentatively, as he heard the unmistakeably sounds of a scuffle. He had almost made it to the crates he had seen his friend vault over, when the dark haired Hunter reappeared from around the stack.

Except he wasn't alone.

* * *

**Meanwhile:**

"I don't believe this," snarled the short haired woman, almost baring her teeth as she stared at the seated figure before her. "I don't fuckin' _believe_ this." She took in a shuddering breath. "How _could_ you –how could _any_ of you--" She stopped short, an angered growl leaving her lips. "To think that you would go as far as to _trust_ them! Have you forgotten what they have done? Have you forgotten what some members of the Council are capable of? Of what they are suspected--"

"-As amusing as it is to watch you lose your prized control," cut in the smooth voice of the long haired female, seated at the desk, "I must ask you to calm down, Harada-san."

Her companion snorted.

"Calm down? You expect me to calm down when I find out about the secret dealings of the Association? The same Association that was supposed to do everything possible to _protect_ its' members and not sell them out to some manipulative bastards?"

The other woman stared at her fan –an item she was rarely seen without- as though it was an object of greater interest than the enraged woman standing before her.

"You would do well to think before you speak, Harada-san. Valuable though you are to us and our cause, it does not mean that the Association will overlook insubordination from one of its members."

"Insubordination? Hah! If the Association had been _honest_ with its members all along, there wouldn't _be_ any of this so-called 'insubordination'," retorted the angry woman, running an agitated hand through her short red hair. "And how _dare_ you. How dare you try and accuse me of insubordination after all that I have done for you?"

The stately dressed woman shrugged, still look looking at her.

"I have never ridiculed or put down your hard work," she said, still sounding as calm and tranquil as she almost always did. "I simply speak of what I see before me."

"You only see what you want to see," spat out the red haired woman.

She flinched, despite all her bravado, as her superior slammed her fan down on the surface of her table. A tensed silence filled the private office they were in as the long-haired woman slowly raised her beady eyes to look at her.

"I am afraid that I am going to have to ask you to remove yourself from my sight, Harada-san," she said, quietly. Her beady eyes narrowed as she noticed the younger woman looking ready to speak. "And do be careful with what you say...it could be used against you at some point in the future..."

The red haired woman narrowed her own eyes, sensing a double meaning behind the comment.

"Is that a threat?" she asked, casually, even though her insides shook with a mixture of anger, confusion and, mostly, of fear. Fear of the woman seated before her.

A wry smile appeared on the seated woman's face.

"What purpose would I have to threaten a loyal member of the Association such as yourself?" She saw the quick spark in the other's eyes and smiled slightly as she wisely held her tongue. "Leave me," she said, dismissively, the smile leaving her lips. "Now."

The angered woman stared at her superior for a long moment, clenching her hands into fists, before she gave a curt nod. Without even bothering with politeness, she turned on her heel and stalked towards the door, suddenly feeling the need to get the hell out of the room and into the training halls in the lower levels of the Headquarters.

She had quite a bit of anger to take out on the practice dummies there. And afterwards...afterwards, she would head to the one place that she knew of that harboured those who would allow her to discuss her latest findings; and they would certainly know more than _she_ did about said findings, such as whether or not they were accurate, and if they were, _how_ accurate they were.

"Oh, and Harada-san?" She paused, not bothering to turn back to face her superior. "I must ask you to remember that the Association has only allowed _one_ active Hunter to remain in that place..." She froze at the comment. "In other words, it would be in your best interests if you stayed away from Cross Academy, for we will know if you so much as set one foot through the Academy's gates. Is that clear?"

The red haired woman swallowed despite her slowly increasing fear. Well, _that_ had confirmed at least one of her suspicions.

"Of course, President," she said, her voice hollow, before she wrenched the door open and slammed it shut behind her.

* * *

The bespectacled ex-Hunter watched as the short, stocky man twisted in his friend's grip, a fearsome scowl on his face as each of his attempts at getting him to loosen his grip were met with failure.

"You can try that all you want," said Touga, his voice low, "but you're not getting away." With that, he shifted his gaze to his friend. "Would you reckon he's one of the 'watchful eyes'...?"

Cross, who had been eyeing the short man somewhat warily, stalked forward and, after a moment's deliberation, searched the pockets of the man's jacket. He hit the jackpot a moment later when he withdrew a set of daggers –daggers that had a familiar motif etched onto the blades. He held up the daggers so his friend could see them for himself.

"Oh, yes," he said, as his friend's eye darkened. "I would say that he is most _certainly_ one of them." He eyed the man through his glasses, taking in the defiant expression on his face and his tensed posture. "Would you mind telling us why you were spying on us?"

The man glared at him, and said nothing. "Ah, it doesn't matter. We –or I, rather- already know." He paused. "Alright then, how about this one; how many of you are there in this town?"

He was met with silence once more. "Okay, one more try; do the townspeople here know who you are? Do they know of your intentions?" The glare he was receiving only intensified, and, much to Touga's exasperation, he started to pout. "Why? Why won't you answer me?? A-Am I really that unlikeable? Is that it? Is that why?"

The dark haired Hunter couldn't say who was more surprised by this outburst; him or the spy. In any case, he took advantage of the moment.

"There are other ways to get people to talk," he said, his voice nonchalant, as he increased the pressure on the twist he had the man's arm bent in, causing him to cringe. "...And unfortunately for _you_, I happen to know quite a lot about --oh for the love of -will you _shut up_?!" Cross quietened down with an indignant sniff as he saw his friend's glare.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to get him to lower his guard so that he'll let something slip," he said, in a whisper-scream.

"Brilliant plan," said Touga, sarcastically, "especially since you just told him about it."

"You're mean," said Cross, as his pout deepened, before he crossed his arms over his chest. "All I'm trying to do is to save this poor gentleman the...ugly event of _you_ taking charge of the questioning. Is that so wrong?"

A grin appeared on the Hunter's lips.

"No, it's not," he said, "but it's stupid. If we want to get this –whatever this _is_- over and done with quickly, then I had better take charge here..."

"Yes, but-"

"-Look, the town may be small, but if we keep on running into people like _him_, then it'll take us quite a while to reach the residential area you were speaking of earlier. It's best if I-"

"-We won't let you get to her."

The dark haired Hunter stared at the captive spy, puzzled by his words.

"What?"

He saw the man twist his head around partially, and saw the sneer on his face.

"No matter what you do, we won't let you get to her. We won't let you derail all our hard work and planning."

"What are you-"

"So you _do_ have her." The comment caused both men to look forward, to where Cross was standing. His face was lowered, making it difficult to see his expression. "They were right, then, those reports..."

"Kaien, what the hell are you-" The dark haired Hunter trailed off when his friend looked up; the expression on his face was a cold one...one that he had not seen in a few years; one that he usually wore when he was beyond less-than-pleased. He felt the Association spy tense in his hold and twisted his arm harder, earning a pained gasp as a reward.

"If she has been harmed in any way..." hissed the once affable Chairman, before he fixed his now stony eyes on his surprised friend. "Come, Touga, we have to go." He saw his friend's hesitation. "Touga, we don't have any time to waste," he said, an urgent note reaching his voice.

"What do we do with mister horrible spy over here?" he questioned, looking down at the man.

Cross shrugged.

"Knock him out," he suggested. "I don't care what you do –we _have to get going_."

"Okay, okay, calm down," muttered the dark haired Hunter, still quite surprised with his friend's...odd behaviour. He saw the cold glance he received from said friend, and scowled. "What the hell crawled up your ass and died, Cross?" he snapped, not amused.

"Can we just go? I swear, Touga, if we-"

"-You can hurry all you want," gasped the short man, willing himself to not show any more signs of pain as the dark haired Hunter tightened his grip on his twisted arm. "By the time you get there, the others would have moved her. A-And –" he took in a quick, pained breath, "-you'll never be able to find her again. Traitors like you will _never_ be allowed to find her-" He was cut off when he was cuffed hard on the back of his head by the dark haired Hunter.

"That's enough from you," he said, warningly, deciding that it was probably best to do as his friend had said and knock him out before he could delay them any further. Delay them from what he didn't know, but it seemed to be important to the brunet...so he was willing to bet that it was rather...serious. "Who is this 'she' you keep referring to anyway?" he muttered, curiously.

The man sent the still brunet a surprised look, honestly surprised that his captor did not know. Suddenly feeling a powerful wave of dread rising in him, he kept his mouth shut, his face turning pale as he saw the dark expression that flashed quickly across the ex-Hunter's face.

"I was hoping to explain it all to you later, Touga," said the ex-Hunter, his eyes fixed on his friend. "But..." he trailed off. "No matter. Do you remember our conversation on the way here?"

"Which-"

"-About the event that took place nine years ago."

The tall man stiffened, his blue eye narrowing.

"What about it?"

"Remember what I said about...the possibility of someone _not_ being killed at the house, with her parents? How even though there was no evidence of her having escaped, there was none to suggest that she had been killed with her parents?"

Touga's face slowly but surely started to turn pale as he put two and two together; the brunet's sudden, impulsive visit to the town in the middle of nowhere; the conversation in the car; his odd behaviour in the market area; his reluctance to speak while being spied on; and his reaction to the spy's defiant exclamations.

Observing his friend's face, Cross knew exactly when realization started to sit in, and whatever the consequences might be, he stated what he knew his friend to already be suspecting. "Kiryuu Yuzara, Touga. She's somehow alive, here, in this town."

The silence that surrounded the side-street was, ironically, deafening, as none of the three made any move or any sound at all. They simply stared at each other. "Touga--" The ex-Hunter didn't get to say much else as the dark haired man grabbed hold of the spy's shoulders and roughly slammed him, face first, into the wall of some shop or the other.

The sound of flesh and bone meeting the brick wall echoed around them.

"Is this true?" growled out Touga, his voice dangerously low.

But the spy didn't answer –probably because he _couldn't_ answer, as his face was smothered against the wall. Growling once more, the Hunter physically hauled him off the wall before slamming him against it once more, albeit harder. "_Is. This. True_," he growled out, a dark note entering his voice.

To the spy's credit, he still remained quiet. But what he had said earlier was enough, and therefore, the damage had been done. He was forced to cry out when his previously twisted arm was twisted once more, although this time it was done with such force that it didn't take more than half a minute for a painfully audible 'crack' to echo in the still air around them. The short, stocky man couldn't quite hold back the pained scream as the bone snapped –a scream that was muffled by the fact that his mouth was pressed into the wall.

But the dark haired Hunter didn't seem concerned with this. "For the last time," he said, slowly, ensuring that the man heard every syllable clearly, "Is this true?"

The spy nodded, whimpering in pain. The Hunter growled once more, his aura darkening rapidly. "Then why was she proclaimed dead?" When the Hunter didn't answer, he turned his head slightly and raised his voice. "Kaien. Pass me one of those daggers." The man squirmed in his hold and shook his head violently, scraping it against the rough wall. "...Answer me if you don't want me to cause you any more pain."

With that, he spun him around so he could see his face. The spy balked at the sheer fury reflected in the single blue eye, and swallowed.

"T-The Association," he gasped, his breath coming quickly, "w...anted a p-puppet...!"

"I'm listening."

"W-Wanted a K-Kiryuu puppet. The b-boy...w-was bitten and...and t-taken in by the –the traitor, so he w-wouldn't be easy to...control..."

"So they knew Yuzara was alive all these years? For _nine years_ they knew she was alive?" The Hunter's aura was darkening faster now, and it was clear that the spy sensed this and feared it.

"F-Found her by chance," he said, quickly. "That's all...all I know. They didn't...g-get involved with her life u-until f-four years ago w-when they brought her here. D-Don't know a...nymore. H-Honest."

The Hunter snorted, darkly.

"Because four years ago was when Shizuka attacked the remaining Kiryuus, and when Cross took Zero in." The spy nodded. "Where is she? Where in this town is she?"

The spy shook his head slightly, causing the Hunter to press his arm against his throat, choking him. "...Well?"

"Touga, that's enough."

Cross Kaien stepped forward briskly, evidently having seen and heard enough. "I have an idea where she's being kept." He turned to the gasping spy. "The 'doctor's' private practice, am I correct?" The short man nodded with great difficulty. "Touga, let him go."

"This bastard is one of the reasons why –Kaien, this _lowlife_ knew that--" The brunet held up a hand.

"I know, Touga, I _know_. But you have to remember that our main priority here is to get Yuzara out of here." He paused. "Besides, I am sure that we'll run into more of the Association's spies when we reach the doctor's practice."

It took a moment or two, but the Hunter eventually nodded slowly, releasing his grip on the thoroughly defeated spy, who quickly sank to his knees. Staring down at him for a moment, he held his hand out to his friend, pointedly eyeing the daggers he still held in them. The Chairman stared at the daggers for a moment, before reluctantly handing one over. He knew that his friend had a reason –that wasn't just pure hatred- to have to kill the spy.

If he was left alive, nothing would stop him from informing the Association of the identities of those who had taken their 'tool' away –and the last thing that the brunet needed was to be hounded even more by the morally corrupt and disgusting organization. Granted, the Association would eventually put two and two together and realize that he and Touga were the only ones who would have had a motive to rescue their would-be puppet...but as long as they did not have any proof, as long as they could be held off for a while...

He watched, detachedly, as, with a quick downward slash, the dark haired Hunter disposed of the spy. He carefully wiped the dagger clean on the man's jacket, before handing it back to Cross, who took it unwillingly.

"Where is this practice?" he questioned after a long, terse silence, as the brunet pocketed the two daggers. "Is it far from here?"

"It shouldn't be too far," said Cross, "Come, follow me."

And the pair headed out of the side street, careful to make sure that their exit wasn't seen so that they would not be held accountable whenever the body was found in the side-street.

They had a mission to carry out.

* * *

**A/N**

I apologize for the lack of scenes involving any of the others in this chapter, but I wanted to clear things up a bit –things regarding the reasons for the Chairman's visit to the town and also things concerning the Hunters' Association. Based on certain manga events, I hate its President with a passion –the deceitful _cow-_ and I was hoping to expand on her motives and her true character a little bit –not that we know for sure what her motives _are_, but we know from the manga that she was working alongside Ichiou and the Council while they prepared for Kuran Rido's resurrection. And she did mention that she had wanted to try and control Zero, but he wouldn't let her...which got me wondering...but anyway!

I hope this chapter cleared things up, and hope it was enjoyable. Despite the scene with Yagari and the spy. It's my first time writing a scene like that, and I wanted to include it there because Yagari Touga _is_ known as the best Hunter alive –or something like that- and...well, he seems to be the type who, sometimes, finds it hard to control his temper. I don't know, maybe I'm reading too much into things.

That's it from me for now.

Till next time!

Siriusgirl1


	4. Freeing the Prisoner

**A/N**

Thank you everyone for the reviews! **Animepowergirl**, I'm happy that you found it interesting. And thank you for your review. Hehe, I don't know if it's 'brilliant', but I'll do my best to keep up the style and quality. And **flaming-amber**, hehe, the plot thickens indeed! Thanks for the review!

I'm really glad that you seem to be liking it so far... that last chapter was a tad difficult to write, but, well, it's done. As for this chapter, well, it'll be the 'rescue' –if that's what you'd call it. Finally. And from then onwards, the fic will mainly be set at Cross Academy –with different scenes involving the Hunters' Association and, later, the Council of Ancients.

Hope you enjoy this chapter too!

**Disclaimer: **Do I really have to do this again? Sigh. Not mine. It's all Hino Matsuri's.

* * *

**Chapter Four**: **Freeing the Prisoner**

He was barely holding back his rage as he met the eyes of the 'doctor', paying no attention whatsoever to the other people gathered in the back room of the two storey building they had walked into. Clenching his hands into fists was not working for him anymore, because what he wanted, what he _so desperately wanted_ was to break something.

Preferably this greasy Association member's friggin' _nose_.

And if he had to take on the twelve or so people who seemed intent on stopping him...he would break _their_ noses first. And kill them, of course. But he wanted to hurt them first.

His brunet companion moved out from behind him, having pocketed his glasses.

"Can I leave this to you, Touga-kun?" he asked, knowing that he didn't really need to.

"You _better_ leave this to me," growled the dark haired Hunter, his murderous aura making his intent clear to all those in the room –a storage room, of sorts. "You go get Yuzara."

"Naturally." With a last look at his enraged friend, the brunet ex-Hunter made his way to the door, only to find that it was blocked by two of the men gathered in the room.

They sneered at him, evidently full of some form of...cocky pride, and _evidently_ not seeming to think that he would pose much of a threat to them.

"Someone's already taking the girl away," said one of them, pulling out a long blade from its sheath at his side. "You're too late."

"Indeed," agreed Cross, quietly, "I am too late. Nine years too late, in fact." Neither of the two men were prepared for his quick, fast movements, and soon found themselves being thrown away from the path to the door. "I'll be taking this, if you don't mind," he added, as he grabbed the blade that had been unsheathed. "Touga, there are two of them at your back."

"I know. Get moving."

With a nod, the brunet dashed out of the storage room after concealing the blade under the folds of his cloak. It wouldn't do to frighten the receptionist and the few patients gathered in the waiting area after all –for they all appeared to be normal, innocent civilians.

Forcing a relaxed expression on his face, he strolled passed the reception area, heading towards the stairs that led to the next floor. The blade was gripped tightly in his hands as he made his way up the stairs, anxious as to what he would find there.

* * *

_She could hear the sounds of the street waking up to greet the new day. Years ago –how many, she couldn't quite remember; she had lost track- she had been surprised by this fact, especially since she could hear no such stirring in the building she was in. She had heard no footsteps; no shouts of food getting cold; the only running water she heard was whenever she was taken to the bathroom –and throughout her stay in the...room, she had never heard anything. _

_If it hadn't been for the stout woman who brought her food and escorted her to the bathroom, she would have thought that she was alone. As it was, she knew that she _wasn't_ quite alone...but it didn't make any difference to her, because she was certainly on her own here, wherever 'here' was. Although, sometimes, she thought that that was actually a good thing, for these were the times when her thoughts...went blank._

_These were the times when her mind brought up images of one cold evening; an evening where she lost all that she held dear. _

_These were the times when bloodied images circled each other in her head to the tune of the information that was continually being pushed into her head._

_These were the times when she desperately searched for something –anything- that she could use on her wrist or her neck (which alas there weren't, for whoever it was that...kept her here seemed to have learned a lesson after her seventh try)._

_But, more importantly, these were the times when she saw the men, the strange men who she had run from –who had hurt, hurt, hurt mama and papa-, and she found that she could not escape their eyes, their watchful, watchful, watchful eyes. The vision of the strange, strange, strange men never failed to draw tears from her lifeless, lilac eyes; tears which she had been beaten to learn to repress. _

_So it was a good thing that she was alone._

_Alone. Alone. Alone. _

_But sometimes, _sometimes_, when she was in her right mind and was able to hear the sounds of the people on the street preparing to face a new day..._

_...sometimes, she wondered what freedom would taste like; what life outside the barren room with the grilled and boarded windows would be like. Would it be normal? Would she have...what was it called again...ah, friends? Would she be held in something under than a painful grip?_

_But then she remembered. She was alone, alone, alone. And had no one, no one, no one to care for her. _

_So freedom would not taste good, good, good._

_Hmm?_

_That was odd, odd, odd. She could hear footsteps._

_And someone was yelling._

_A loud bang._

_Why? Why, why, why?_

_It was opening, opening, opening...but who? _

_...Someone new._

_Someone with sad, _sad_ eyes._

_Don't be sad. _

I_ am sad, and that is enough._

_Such a kind face should not have sad eyes._

_Do you understand?_

_Don't be sad, please._

* * *

Ignoring the woman quivering in a heap at his feet, the brunet fixed his light, intense gaze on the door that stood before him. He immediately knew that it was reinforced with something other than just wood, and his lip curled in disgust when he saw the numerous bolts and the heavy padlock on the largest lock.

_Of every crime they could have committed, _he thought, coolly, _I would never have thought them capable of _this_. _

Shaking his head, he raised the long blade he had taken from one of the men downstairs –the same one he had effectively immobilized the slender woman lying at his feet, as well as the others who lay scattered on the hallway floor- and brought it down over the deadbolts, exerting just a bit more pressure than was necessary to quickly slice through them.

The only remaining problem was the padlock.

But as he chanced a glance at the injured female Hunter, he knew that it would not remain a problem. Grabbing the small, easy to hide pistol that had half fallen from her jeans pocket, he swiftly aimed it at the padlock and fired, dropping the pistol immediately. He paused for only a fraction of a second before he yanked the door opened.

He wasn't fully prepared for the darkness that greeted him in the room, but he had known that he should expect something of the sort. It was the stench of the room that got to him, that felt too familiar to be entirely comfortable, and that caused him to resist the urge to gag.

The stench of blood –both old and new- and fear were unfortunately too familiar to the famed ex-Hunter.

Steeling himself, he walked further into the room, giving himself some time for his eyes to get adjusted to the almost pitch-black darkness. While he waited for this to happen, however, he tried to locate the figure he knew was present. There were no silhouettes to discern her location with, but he could hear shallow breathing.

"Yu...zara?" he berated himself mentally for the unsteadiness of his voice. "Yuzara?" The breathing, he noticed, quickened slightly. Now that his eyes were adjust to the darkness, he moved away from where he was obstructing the hallway lighting from shedding some light into the room. As he moved, he caught sight of a large square on the wall to his right. It took him a while, but eventually, he figure out what it was; a window.

A boarded window.

Suppressing his furious aura, he stalked towards it, running his fingers across the surface –which he found to be wood, just as he had thought. With a few careful flicks of the unsurprisingly well-kept blade, he had managed to pry a small portion of the wooden covering off. It wasn't much, just a long, oddly oval shape; but it was enough to suit his purpose, for a little more light was shed into the room.

Although he once again found himself keeping his aura steady when he saw the thin steel bars that were placed on the other side of the boards; steel bars that were placed with barely a sliver of free space between them.

Turning his back to the window, he did his customary quick scan of the room, taking in its dilapidated condition along with the small, low bed that was pushed against the far wall. As he continued with his scan, the first thing that he next saw was a chain, with one end fixed at an odd, high point on the wall. The other end of the chain, he noted, as his eyes followed the metal, was attached to a thin, almost completely white wrist.

His breath hitching, he laid his eyes on Kiryuu Yuzara, nine years since he had last seen her.

And by the _gods_, what those nine years had done to her!

She was thin, very thin, and very pale. And her eyes, oh god, her _eyes_... he gave a start when he realized that they were fixed on him.

"Yuzara?"

It unnerved him slightly that she continued to stare at him, not even blinking once, with such lifeless, such empty lilac eyes. But his experience as a professional took over, forcing his heart and emotions as far back as they would go. Swallowing against the lump in his throat, he moved forward, slowly, making sure to keep his eyes on her to gauge her reaction.

Unsurprisingly, he received none. There was no wary flinch, no stiffening of her shoulders, no widening of her eyes...she just sat there, knees drawn up to her chest and her back leaning against the wall.

Using this to his advantage, he quickened his pace and was soon kneeling beside her, mindful of the blood that he could smell around her, as well as the fear, the tangible fear that she had to feel but didn't show. "It's alright," he said, as he forced himself to look away from her thin, white and shadowed face. "You're going to be alright." He observed the metal band that was attached to her wrist, keeping her chained in place. It fit too tightly for him to slide the blade underneath it and attempt to cut it –and in any case, he somehow doubted if it would be that easy to get rid of it. He moved his eyes instead to the chain that was connected to the metal band. Now _that_, on the other hand, wouldn't be too difficult...

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said, seeing a quick sliver of...something appearing in her lifeless eyes as he raised his blade. "I'm going to cut this chain," he said, in a horribly controlled voice, "and then I'm going to pick you up, and get you out of here." He wanted to smile at her, but he couldn't. No matter how hard he willed himself to, he couldn't. "We're going to save you, and you're going to..._ah_." With a satisfying, echoing 'clang' the severed metal chain swung back against the wall, hitting it before remaining stationary.

He returned his attention to the quiet, unnaturally still girl, wondering why she continued to stare at him. "Can you move?" he asked, lowering his voice. She didn't move or say anything in reply, so he dropped the blade and gently, carefully, _heartbrokenly_, lifted her into his arms before standing up.

Given her appearance, he wasn't surprised that she didn't weigh much, if at all, and he expertly ignored the protruding bones that he could feel from her ribs and elbows. Even the sleeveless, dark dress that she wore seemed to be much too large for her. "Let's...go, shall we?" he questioned, only then seeing her eyes move to the now marginally uncovered window, squinting against the light that streamed in, as though it pained her.

It was a simple act, if he was to think about it, but it got his heart beating faster in his chest.

She winced in the sunlight.

...Vampires were also unable to stand the sunlight.

And, and this...room, was completely devoid of any light –something any vampire would prefer.

_No, it cannot be_, he reassured himself mentally, as he headed towards the door, gently cradling the frail girl and leaving the blade behind. _She would have had to be bitten by a Pureblood to have been turned. And as far as we know, those who attacked her parents nine years ago were not Purebloods. And even the Association would not have been able to turn her into a vampire, for their little vampire 'friends' were not Purebloods._

Relieved, he quickened his pace as he stepped out of the room –only to suddenly throw himself to his right as a gunshot was fired, aimed at the spot he had been standing in. He brought himself into a crouched position on the ground, protectively cradling the still body to his chest as he glared at the woman he had thought he had incapacitated enough.

"Did you think," she wheezed, as she wiped a trickle of blood from her mouth, "we'd –l...et you get away easily?" Even despite the situation they were in, the brunet couldn't help but briefly respect the woman's actions; her torso was littered with wounds from the blade he had carried with him, and it was clear that she was bleeding internally, somehow, yet she still stood straight, aiming her pistol at him.

But one look at the too pale girl in his arms caused that admiration to flicker and die a short, quick death.

"No, I didn't," he said, carefully eyeing the woman, "but if you think that we're going to give up now, after coming this far, you had better think again."

The woman sneered at him.

"And you had better think again, if you think we're going to let you...take her," she said, a hand pressed to her bleeding side. "After...all we've done..."

"It is a pity that your hard work has left her in the condition she is in now," spat the brunet ex-Hunter, his eyes narrowing. "How could you? Did you not care that you were doing this –whatever _this_ was- to an innocent? To a child who had already suffered from one traumatic experience in her life?"

"She'll learn to get over it," snapped the woman, although she winced almost immediately as pain shot through her. She took in a shuddering breath. "Besides, the Kiryuu boy seemed to get over being bitten by a _Pureblood_, so why shouldn't she be able to get over this?"

The low growl that filled the air around them most certainly _didn't_ come from the ex-Hunter, and when she realized this, the woman spun around –only to properly allow a clenched fist to embed itself in her already wounded stomach. With a loud 'oof' she fell to her knees, bringing up both her hands to wrap around her torso.

"I'd like to see how anyone of you Association _wimps_ would deal with treatment like this. If I weren't human, I would plead with that Kuran kid to bite one of you, just so we see how you handle it," growled out the dark haired Hunter, his one blue eye blinking against the blood that trickled into it through a hidden injury on his head.

"Touga..." The ex-Hunter watched as his companion's face turned to look at him, and saw the face pale when he saw the girl he held to him.

"...Shit."

The brunet nodded, but said nothing else, as he normally would have done. Risking a glance at the girl, he saw that her dull eyes were now fixed on the dark haired man –but there was no sign of recognition, and to be honest, he hadn't been expecting any. She obviously wouldn't recognize _him_, because he hadn't visited her parents as often as Touga had. But then again, it _had_ been nine years, and what with her...treatment...

"Yuzara..." the Hunter's voice was broken, and it pained his friend to hear it –to hear it _again_. The last time the stoic, unmoveable man had sounded broken had been the day he found out that Zero had been bitten, and he had felt that it had somehow been _his_ fault that it had happened. He could only imagine how this would make him feel.

"You're injured," he said, snapping himself out of his dreary thoughts. "Nothing serious?"

The dark haired man paused, before shrugging –despite his cut shoulder.

"I'm still alive aren't I?" he muttered.

"W-We won't let you t...ake her!" He whirled around to face the woman, who was struggling to her feet. "You have no idea –our plans...our hopes...you _must_ understand, Yagari-san!"

"Understand?" barked the dark haired Hunter, angrily. "What's there to understand, Kana? _How_ can you justify...whatever you did to make her look like this?" And they all knew that he wasn't shallowly referring to her looks. "She's broken, god dammit, _broken_. And you caused it! Tell me," he said, an ugly sneer on his face, "did you enjoy her fear? Her pain?"

The woman shook her head, fervently.

"Of course I didn't!" she snapped. "But what we did...it was all necessary. She had to learn _some_ of our art, if she wanted to be an effective enough tool. Don't you _see_, Yagari-san, we were only doing her some good by training her to handle vampires whenever she was exposed to the world!"

"Training her? _Training her_?! You had her imprisoned, you had those who cared about her thinking she had died nine fucking years ago –you as good as killed her, and that was for her own good?!"

The ex-Hunter unconsciously noted how the frail girl in his arms didn't even flinch at the Hunter's roar. "You were always too eager to please the Association, Kana...you would never have been able to say 'no' to their orders, so how could you possibly understand-"

"-No! How could _you_ possibly understand?! With this...this _peace_ of his," she glared at the crouched brunet, "we cannot openly deal with vampires, because that will destroy your treaty bit by bit. But those foul creatures can do as they please, under their Council's leadership, and cannot be touched or punished for their crimes. And let's not even _start_ on that –that Pureblood, Kuran!"

"He has nothing to do with-" The ex-Hunter's voice trailed off when his friend stepped a little to his right, effectively blocking the woman from his view. He understood why he did it a moment later, when a muffled gasp filled the hallway, before Touga slowly lowered the body onto the ground. He stood over it, staring down.

"She could have done so much better..." he muttered, before he turned to his friend. "Where do we go from here? How far is the car?" He walked towards where he was crouched down. "I am going to attract more attention than unusual if I walk around looking like this..." he muttered, before he knelt down in front of his friend, his one eye looking over the silver haired girl from head to toe.

As his friend had done earlier, he noticed the eerie lifelessness that was present in her lilac eyes –lilac eyes that should be brimming with youth and the joy of living- and he forcefully refrained himself from cursing. "I am so, _so_ sorry," he murmured, his voice taking on a rare soft tone as he raised a hand, before hesitating. Eyeing her carefully for a moment, he steeled himself and brought the hand to her face.

The skin there was somewhat rough, and it felt warm to his fingers. _Fever...? _"I –I should have...this should never have happened..." he was ashamed when his voice broke, much to his despair. He could feel his friend's sympathetic gaze on him, and studiously avoided meeting it with his eye, not wanting his pity. "You should never had had to go through any of this."

He lowered his head, a familiar surge of guilt gnawing at him. His friend sensed this, and frowned.

"Touga, we need to get out of here," he said, softly. "We may have...disposed of _this_ batch, but who's to say that there aren't any more? It's best if we left before they hear of this."

"...Yeah," was the gruff reply he received from the lowered head.

"Touga, I know it's-" The brunet was curious as he saw the thus far unresponsive girl slowly raise her unshackled arm towards the Hunter. Her fingers carefully reached up to his face, causing his head to snap up in surprise. Her eyes were still lifeless, but what caught his attention was the slight crease of her brows as she stared at him before moving her fingers to the right side of his face, where the black eye-patch covered his ruined eye.

It felt as though neither of the men breathed as they watched the silver haired girl lightly touch the area above his ruined eye, before moving to press her fingers lightly against his proper blue eye, her fingers coating themselves with the blood the flowed into it. Half a moment later, she lowered her hand once more, and was still.

"Yuzara..."

Cross frowned.

"We need to get out of here. Now," he said, as he adjusted his grip on the girl before rising to his feet with his friend following him. That had certainly been interesting; had she reacted because of the...unusual accessory on the man's face, or...had it been something else? _Now is not the time to ponder this_, he told himself sternly, as he started walking forward.

Touga nodded, although his friend couldn't see him.

"Yeah, I certainly don't want to be here when they find them dead," he muttered, following his friend towards the stairs, wincing as his thigh screamed in pain with each movement. "We'd probably be better off going through the back," he suggested, "don't want to alarm the impatient patients, now, do we?"

"True. Come on, Touga, this place has an uneasy feeling to it. I would feel better once we got ourselves back to the car."

"And _I'd_ feel better when we get he –Yuzara some medical attention."

Mumbling his agreement, the weary and emotionally spent men made their way down the stairs, both keeping their senses on high alert for any hostile movement, with the intent of protecting the quiet, traumatised girl cradled in the ex-Hunter's arms.

They were only too aware of the fact that she was yet to speak, or use her voice in some way.

* * *

**Some time later, at Cross Academy:**

The sleeping strawberry blond haired male let out a still half-asleep groan as he grabbed his pillow from under his head and slapped it _over_ his head, seeking to drown out the quiet voices and other strange sounds. When that didn't work, he yanked his thick, comfortable covers to join the pillow over his head. Unfortunately, that didn't help drown out the sounds that were preventing him from getting his sleep.

"Urgh," he groaned, louder, as he turned so he was lying on his back. "Who'ver tha' is...gonna kill 'em..." he mumbled drowsily into the dark and otherwise quiet room.

Hearing the rustling of covers, he knew at once that his roommate was awake as well. "'Ka'suki?"

"It seems to be coming from this floor." Even in his half asleep state, Aidou Hanabusa had to wonder how his cousin could sound so...awake –especially when he was rudely woken up like that.

"Mmphf," he grunted, his voice muffled from underneath the covers.

"'Gonna kill 'em. Pro'bly Sh'ki..."

"I doubt it. Shiki sleeps like the dead," was the calm reply he received from his cousin, before the taller, older vampire got off his bed. "And his room is on the floor above us." Stalking towards the chairs that sat on either end of a wooden desk in the other corner of the room, he grabbed the shirt that he had thrown there, slipping it on and doing up a few of the buttons before he headed towards the door.

"Wher' you goi'g?"

"To find out what the noise is about."

"Kill 'em when you fin' 'em..."

Kain rolled his eyes.

"If this has woken Ruka up, I think she'll be more than happy to do that."

"A'leas'...she's goo' for some'hin'..."

"Go back to sleep, Hanabusa." With that, Kain Akatsuki walked out of the room he shared with his younger cousin, quietly closing the door behind him –although it made no difference, because Aidou was already half awake. He hadn't taken more than a couple of steps out into the dark corridor when he heard another door being opened.

Glancing towards the other, equally dark end of the corridor, he saw a familiar long haired figure stalking out of her room, a clearly displeased aura surrounding her. He watched as she stalked down the hallway, stopping briefly when she saw him.

"Kain."

"Ruka." He nodded at the shorter figure that appeared behind the other vampire. "Rima."

"M-M-Mornin'," mumbled the model, distantly, as she yawned and rubbed her eyes wearily. "Who's making all that noise?"

"I intend on finding out," said Ruka, darkly, as she stopped outside the third door from hers and Rima's room. As her classmates followed her, it was clear that whoever was in that room was behind the disturbance. "They had better have a good reason for this," she muttered under her breath, before she slammed open the door.

Kain and Rima stood behind her, exchanging almost wary glances; it was well known amongst the Moon Dorm students that whereas _all_ vampires hated their sleep being disturbed, Aidou and Ruka were among the worst. And whereas Aidou would start going crazy and threatening to kill whoever it was that had disturbed him after he took a quarter of an hour or so to fully wake himself up, Ruka literally sprung from her bed with the intent to kill.

But neither vampire had any reason to worry, as they soon found out; for the people responsible for the noise were a couple of the Moon dorm's maids, and the Night Class' vice-president, Ichijou Takuma.

"Ichijou-sama, where should we put this?"

"-Are the colours of this cover alright, Ichijou-sama?"

"Perhaps we should move the dresser to the other end of the room, Ichijou-sama...? That will create a bit more space."

"What about the divan, Ichijou-sama?"

"Ah, ladies, please...one question at a time..." chirped the...chirpy golden haired vampire, holding his hands up as though in self defence. He laughed gaily at the sheepish expressions that appeared on the maids' faces. "They were all reasonable questions, ladies," he said, quickly, before a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. "I think the dresser is just fine where it is, Rio-san; perhaps we could move the divan over by the window, Hana-san? And, hmm...Erika-san, the colours are...lovely, but why don't we just go with the purple, brown and white quilt? I am sure that whoever stays here will select the orange and yellow polka-dotted one later, should she wish--ah, Ruka!"

Ichijou beamed at the three vampires, seemingly not noticing the disgruntled expression on the long haired vampire's face. "What're you doing here?"

"This din woke us up," said Ruka, bitingly. The golden haired vampire looked immediately sheepish.

"Ahahaha, so sorry about that," he said, before his face fell. "You're not going to kill me, are you Ruka? Seiren already tried that when I woke _her_ up..."

"What possessed you to wake her up?" questioned Rima, curiously.

"Kaname asked me to..." There were tears running down the vampire's cheeks, "And she was s-so mean!" Ruka muttered something under her breath, but no one seemed to properly hear it to understand it.

Kain, who had taken the time to glance around the room, noticed how it was being done up –as though they were expecting a visitor.

"Is someone coming to stay with us, Ichijou-sama?" he asked, drawing the vice-president's attention to him. Ichijou shook his head.

"Oh, no," he said, smiling. "Nothing like that."

"Then why are you doing all of this?" questioned Ruka, gesturing to the working maids around them.

"Ah, well, you see, someone _could_ be coming," he said, vaguely. "But we're not sure. But what's wrong with just randomly preparing a room? You could take it, Ruka, if you don't like your own room. Or Rima can. Or-"

"-Kain could, or Aidou could, or Shiki himself could. Yes, we get the point," grumbled Ruka. Both she and Rima cringed when one of the maids pushed aside the heavy drapes that had previously covered the large windows, and automatically raised their hands to cover their eyes, just as Kain flinched. Ichijou, on the other hand, bounded over to the window and peered through.

"Ahh, look, it's a _beautiful_ day outside! Hmm, I think I'll go out to the gardens with my manga when I'm done with this. Yes, I think I will, actually..."

"Are you really a vampire?"

"Hmm? What was that, Ruka?"

"Nothing."

Shrugging good naturedly, the golden haired vampire turned his attention back to the windows, peering forward to look through them. The view was of the path that led to the Moon dorm –a path that was shaded by tall trees on one side, and the Moon dorm buildings on the other.

A curious expression formed on his face when he saw the moving figure approaching the main building. Leaning forward some more, his green eyes widened when he recognized it as the school's Chairman –just as he saw the second figure catching up to the pacifist ex-Hunter.

"Hmm?" he mused aloud, wondering why Yagari-sensei was running -- "Oh!" The sight of the third figure carried in the Chairman's arms caused him to sober and he quickly turned on his heel. "Everyone, please leave the room and go back to bed," he said, as he hurried towards the door. "Erika-san, you can all continue your work later. Please prepare some tea for...three," he added, pausing to glance at the maid closest to him.

"Of course, Ichijou-sama." Flashing her a quick smile, the Vice President of the Moon dorm hurried out of the room as fast as he could, leaving his bewildered classmates behind him.

"...That was odd," muttered Rima, "even by his standards."

Ruka scoffed.

"Whatever," she said. "I'm going back to bed." Rima nodded, following her friend to the door. "Kain? Aren't you coming?" The tall male nodded, glancing around the room once more before he joined the girls at the door. There was something...suspicious going on here...but he supposed that it was none of his concern, so he should file that thought away.

* * *

**At the same time:**

"Kuran-sama."

The regal Pureblood looked up from the document he had been reading as the short haired female bowed down before him.

"Seiren." He nodded at her. "You have some news?"

Seiren nodded as she straightened, her face as expressionless as usual.

"Chairman Cross and Yagari Touga are making their way towards the Moon dorm as we speak. Ichijou-sama has gone to greet them at the doors."

Kaname nodded, having sensed his friend's somewhat less relaxed aura.

"Are they alone?"

The pale haired vampire shook her head.

"There was a girl," she said, and this time, it was the regal Pureblood who straightened in his seat. "She seemed to be in a bad condition, from what I could tell. The Chairman was carrying her."

"I see." Silence filled the room for half a moment as Seiren felt her master's thoughtful gaze on her. "Did you sense what she was?" he queried, out of interest.

"Human."

"Ah." Putting the document down on the desk, the Pureblood stood up, pushing his chair away from his desk. "Is there anything else?"

Seiren nodded.

"Her aura, Kuran-sama, was...wrong." Her lord raised his eyebrows at her. "It was empty. Broken."

A frown tugged the corners of his lips downward, but Kaname said nothing as he made his way towards the door.

"Thank you, Seiren. I will let you know if I need anything else." He opened the door. "You have done well. Go and get some sleep now, before you attempt to murder Takuma again." With that, he closed the door behind him and disappeared from sight.

* * *

**A/N**

Can I say that I'm sorry about the length? Because I really am. Here I was, telling myself that I really needed to shorten my chapters somewhat...but I just go ahead and do the opposite. My reason for this one is that I really didn't want to end it at any earlier point, and that I didn't want to have to write another chapter with the Chairman and Yagari still attempting to rescue the girl.

Sigh. I apologize for the length.

Hope you enjoyed it, though!

Until next time,

Siriusgirl1


	5. Explanations All Around

**A/N**

Sorry this took a while to be uploaded; I was simply having a bit of difficulty with selecting what exactly I wanted to put in here. And unfortunately, I somehow managed to make this quite a bit longer than the previous chapter. But, from the lovely reviews I got (thank you to; **flaming-amber**, **alyzzahp, **and **lovelyanimeangel** –I am so, so glad that you like how this is going so far! And that you reviewed, of course. So thank you!) I gathered that you didn't mind the length of the previous chapter. If it's possible, do you think you could, perhaps, point out it out if you feel that a chapter is indeed too long? Just so that I know, and can somehow try to avoid that in the future? Because every time I'm typing, once I reach beyond the 3000word mark, I begin worrying about it being too long and therefore to dreary to read. It never fails to happen.

So, without further ado, here's chapter five.

**Disclaimer:** Hino Matsuri's. Not. Mine. _Savvy_?

* * *

**Chapter Five**: **Explanations All Around**

The normally relaxed and easy-going Chairman was close to tearing his hair out as he stared at the Night Class vice-president, who had ushered them in through the Moon dorm doors. The vice president who was currently staring at the quiet, eerily still girl he had in his arms.

While it was true that the slight figure was not too injured –although it appeared she had an old injury or two that needed to be cleaned and dressed- he wanted to get her to a room, to a proper _bed_. He wanted to see her in the midst of students who would, should the time come, provide a form of shield around her, albeit unknowingly. He wanted to see to it that she was comfortable before having to, no doubt, answer a certain Pureblood's queries; and, more importantly, he wanted to sit down with his dark-haired friend –who happened to be rather emotionally volatile at the moment- and impress upon him that marching into the Association's headquarters and going on an attempted killing/shouting spree was not going to help them in any way. It would certainly _not_ help Yuzara, or take back whatever it was that was done to her, no matter how momentarily satisfying it might be.

_But_ he wasn't going to achieve any of that by standing in the threshold of the Moon dorms.

"Ichijou-kun, I will explain what is necessary in due time, but for now, I need-"

"-God dammit, kid, stop gawking and show us the closest spare room!" It appeared that he wasn't the only one who was getting impatient, and yet, the Chairman managed to send his friend a tired, reprimanding look,

"Touga, lower you voice –the other students are sleeping; Ichijou-kun, _today_ would be quite helpful..."

At that, the golden haired vampire forcefully tore his eyes away from the empty lilac pair that had been watching him unblinkingly, swallowed, and nodded quickly.

"O-Of course, Chairman, Yagari-sensei. Forgive my lack of manners," he said, with a quick bow of the head, as he turned on his heel, heading towards the stairs as the two older men followed him. "This way, please. Kaname asked for a room to be prepared, and he asked for it to be on one of the upper floors..." he paused, turning his head back slightly in order to quickly glance at the still figure in the Chairman's arms. "I'm afraid it's not exactly close, though..."

"It doesn't matter," growled out the dark haired Hunter, impatiently, "just take us there. Now."

Despite his weariness and the thoughts and questions that were quickly forming in his head, the brunet Chairman frowned once more.

"_Touga_, please, there's no need to-" He stopped when Ichijou stopped walking and turned to look at them.

"Ah...Chairman, Yagari-sensei...you're bleeding..." The two men looked at the green eyed vampire, before looking down at themselves, as though they had forgotten about the injuries they had sustained in town.

The dark haired Hunter –who seemed to be more roughed up than his friend- laughed darkly as he flexed his injured shoulder.

"We're bleeding and we're in the middle of the freakin' domain of...a bunch of young blood suckers," he said with a tone of dark amusement in his voice. "Brilliant idea, _Kaien_. This is some way to 'not attract unwanted attention'."

The Chairman frowned, unconsciously tightening his grip on the still girl in his arms.

"I didn't think...I didn't realize-"

"-Clearly. Why couldn't we have taken her to the Sun dorms? Or to your private quarters?"

"Touga, do you honestly believe that she-"

"Chairman Cross. Yagari-sensei." The brunet ex-Hunter looked up to where the Pureblood was standing at the top of the stairs. A weary half-smile appeared on his lips as he nodded at the student.

"Kaname-kun." The Pureblood's eyes landed first on the dark haired Hunter beside him, no doubt taking in his...none-too-fresh appearance, before the rich eyes fell to the figure the Chairman was cradling protectively to his chest. Of the overall stench of blood that starkly hit his sensitive senses, it took him less than half a moment to come to the realization that the stench of stale, old blood was coming from _her_.

Unfortunately, that was about all that he was able to ponder on, for as quick as...someone with exceptional reflexes, the previously limp girl clawed her way out of the surprised Chairman's arms before scrabbled up the steps with a speed he would not have thought she was capable of, given her...appearance.

Sensing the flaring of the Chairman's aura –as well as that of the dark haired Hunter's- he stood unmoving and easily caught the girl before she could do whatever it was that she seemed intent on doing to him, grabbing her arms in a tight grip to hold her in place.

"Ah! What-"

He tightened the grip he had on her arms as the girl struggled against him; trying to reach out with her hands, trying to land a few blows. Making sure to keep his aura controlled lest it wake the other vampires up, he applied a bit more strength into his grip, knowing that it had to hurt –and doing his best to temporarily overlook the fact that her arms were uncomfortably thin -almost nothing but bone with a layer of muscle and skin dusted over them.

"I do not think that you want to hurt me," he said, coolly, as she still somehow continued to struggle in his grip –it was as though she wasn't hurting at all...as though she couldn't even feel the pain. But that was not possible; that _could_ not be possible. He was using his vampire strength, albeit an insignificant portion of it, but regardless of that fact, it _must _hurt. And yet she did not give any sign of feeling pain –of feeling anything.

It was as Seiren had said; her aura was not normal –oh, it was human alright, but the short haired vampire had hit the nail on the head when she had described the aura as broken.

For when something is broken, it leaves behind nothing but solitary fragments; and that was how he would describe her condition.

"Let her go, Kuran," growled out the dark haired Hunter, as he made his way to where he was standing at the top of the stairs. The dark haired Pureblood raised an eyebrow at the man, his countenance as polite and calm as it always appeared to be.

"And let her have her way with me, Yagari-sensei?" he questioned, politely.

The Hunter, it appeared, wasn't awed by his polite manners, as he stood behind the girl. There was a somewhat hesitant expression flashing across his face as he watched her struggle to free herself from the Pureblood –or to 'have her way with' him, as the vampire had aptly suggested. He did not understand this sudden change in her behaviour. It was true that she wasn't speaking –she hadn't spoke since they had taken her away from the hellhole she had been in- and she still looked as unresponsive as before...but the way she had acted when she saw the Pureblood...not only had she voluntarily moved, but she had done so with grace that he had, ashamedly, not thought her capable of, given her appearance and whatever treatment she had received over the last nine years of her life.

_But_, he reasoned, steeling himself, _this is not the time for this._

"Yuzara," he said, quietly, as he reached out with a hesitant arm, wondering idly if she would break if he so much as squeezed her shoulder. But then, taking into account the fact that she didn't seem affected by the vampire's grip on her arms, he supposed that he was being ridiculous. "Yuzara," he repeated, as he went ahead and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, "stop this." He wanted to say that the vampire wasn't dangerous –at least, not at that moment- but how was he supposed to do that? Hell, did she even _know_ what he was? She was the daughter of a pair of Hunters, yes, but she had been a kid when she had had her first encounter with vampires...who knew if she knew what they were? If her father had explained it all to her?

For he knew for a fact that Kiryuu Ryo had not wanted his daughter to grow up to become a Hunter; but whether that meant that he wished for her to remain ignorant of the vampires that existed alongside humans, he did not know.

He was brought out of his dark musings when he heard the ex-Hunter's voice as he came to a halt beside him.

"...Please, will you stop this?" he questioned, doing his best to draw the impassive girl's attention to him. "We mean you no harm –_he_ means you no harm. We just wish to...to aid you..." his voice faltered slightly at that, earning himself a quick glance from the Pureblood, but it was to no avail; her head remained turned in the direction of the vampire, although her struggles _did_ slow down, somewhat.

Frowning as his earlier concerns seeped back into the forefront of his mind, the Pureblood stared down at the girl, meeting her dead lilac eyes with his rich, red-brown pair. It was with a startled mental jolt that he realized the eyes were familiar; the colour...and something of their shape... had he seen them somewhere before?

He released one of his hands from her arm –surprisingly causing her to cease her struggling as opposed to making her lash out even more- and moved it upward until it was settled on the top of her head. He wanted to be informed of what was going on, and the only way that he would be able to do that was if this human girl was not awake to cause any distraction –for it was clear that the Chairman and the dark haired Hunter were easily distracted from their usual personalities by her.

Of course, he _could_ have knocked her out, but he doubted if the two older men would appreciate that, so he settled for using a bit of his powers and sending her to sleep. It certainly looked like she could use a decent amount of sleep. As he focused his aura and the ability he wanted to use, he suddenly noticed another rather...familiar aspect of the girl.

Her hair. It was of a light, silvery-hue.

A hue that was frustratingly familiar to him, in that he had to see it –a rather darker version of it, however- on the head of a most _disliked _young man, every time he headed out for class or sought out his precious girl.

And he knew that that hair colour was not a common one –which did nothing to soothe his prior concerns.

Shaking himself out of his musings, he allowed his concentration to fall on what he wanted to do, and knew it worked immediately when the girl first stiffened, lilac eyes glazing over ever so slightly, before she fell forward against him.

"You better have just put her to sleep," growled out Touga, who had instinctively jerked forward upon seeing the girl fall forward, her body limp.

"What else do you think I would have done, Yagari-sensei?" questioned Kaname, calmly, as he made to hand the girl over to Ichijou, who had remained silent throughout the scene choosing to observe what was going on instead.

The dark haired Hunter made a noise of disapproval in his throat before he swatted the golden haired vampire's outstretched hands away, moving to take the girl himself. Kaname quirked an eyebrow at the man, "You are injured, sensei," he informed him, "I would have thought-"

"-I can still carry her," he growled, daring the Pureblood to say something else. "I am not some _weakling_, Kuran, and you'd do well to remember that." It was evident that he was distrustful of the slender, handsome brunet, but no one had expected anything less. He _was_ the Hunters' Association's best Hunter after all.

Or so they said.

"Very well," he said curtly, as he turned on his heel, moving to the next flight of stairs. "We will take her to the room that was prepared for her. But once she is settled in, I would suggest you two clean yourselves up. I wonder at the wisdom of entering the Moon dorms reeking of spilled blood."

"Have that argument with him," said Touga, nodded his head at his friend, who had the grace to look sheepish.

"Ah. I was too focused on getting her to safety," explained the Chairman, not seeing the way the Pureblood's lips tugged downwards as at the words, as he had his back to them. "Well then, shall we get moving? I know that you have a lot of questions about this entire thing, Kaname-kun, and I assure you that I will answer them-"

"-He's not the only one with questions."

The Chairman nodded at his friend, even as he fished the glasses out of his coat pocket; where he had safely tucked them in while attempting to rescue the silver haired girl.

"I know, and I assure the both of you that I will explain everything to you, once Yuzara is rested and safe, and once we have had a chance to clean ourselves up."

With a nod at the pacifist ex-Hunter, the Pureblood headed up the stairs not bothering to slow his speed. He wanted answers, and he wanted them _soon_.

For while he had earlier thought it strange that the Chairman had insinuated he wanted him to prepare a room in the Moon dorm for a _human_ girl, he had managed to convince himself that it was nothing for him to fret about, just as long as this...girl did not interfere in his carefully thought out plans –plans concerning the protection of his dear girl.

But from what he had just seen, he could tell that this might not be the case. Not only did the Chairman and Hunter seem to be highly concerned about the girl and her welfare, but she vaguely, yet poignantly resembled someone who he was not too fond of. He could only _guess_ as to why she resembled him, and the guesses weren't particularly pleasing either way.

_I will have to see how this fits in_, he thought, a small frown marring his features, _perhaps it is not as bad as it seems at the moment. There will be something that I will be able to use to my advantage, I am sure..._

* * *

"Wow, did you catch the registration number of the bus that hit you?"

The red haired woman's shoulders stiffened as she turned away from the fridge with a carton of milk. Her brows were furrowed as she glared at the tall male leaning against the kitchen counter. She thought about making a rude gesture at him, but decided that she didn't really feel like wasting the energy to actually do it.

Choosing to ignore him, she moved passed him and unceremoniously plopped herself down at the small, circular kitchen table. "Geez, woman, look a bit lively will you? You look like you've seen a ghost or something." Her uninvited guest smirked. "And we all know that while we've got vampires in this world, we most certainly don't have _ghosts_."

The short haired woman's eyes narrowed as her companion's words caused her to remember the very things she was trying to forget. Such as the oh-so-lovely meeting she had had with the President of the Association. And she didn't even want to think about thinking about the reports she had come across, purely by accident.

"If you're here to annoy me, Yamamoto," she growled out bitingly, "get the hell out of my apartment. I'm not in the mood to deal with this –or to deal with you, rather." She gulped down another large sip of milk from the carton before placing it back on the table and pushing it away from her.

What was she going to _do_? True, she did not know much except for what she had managed to read in the reports, but she still knew that it was enough to raise her suspicions. If only she could speak to her former colleague...but _no_, that option had clearly been thrown out the window by the President's unveiled threat.

_Why the hell_, she wondered mentally, _did I have to go and confront her about it in the first place? _A rueful smile formed on her lips. _Kaien always said that I needed to get my emotions under control. Maybe I should actually set about doing that._ But she knew that she wouldn't for even after years of the former Hunter telling her that, she had not managed to successfully do as he said, so why on earth would it start happening now?

She jumped in her seat when she felt the warm hand on her shoulder, and looked up into her companion's worried hazel eyes. "I'm fine," she muttered, brushing his hand off. When he didn't move away, she scowled, before standing up. "Chuck the milk back in the fridge for me, will you?" she asked, as she made her way around her chair, heading for her room.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm not."

He snorted.

"Yeah, and, oh, look –there's a pig flying out that window."

"Look, I already told you that I'm not-"

"Why are you so afraid to admit that there's something wrong? No one's going to judge you on that, Takiko."

She whirled around, her eyes narrowed.

"I am _not_ afraid of-"

"-Then why, Harada Takiko, are you not willing to admit that something's wrong? That you're evidently troubled by something?" He looked her in the eye, all traces of humour gone. "There may be times when my actions make you think otherwise, but I _am_ your friend, and friends don't like being brushed off like some insignificant speck of dirt."

The glare on Takiko's face was replaced by a hesitant look, as she took note of the seriousness present on her friend's face. She let out a heavy sigh, her shoulders drooping as she did so.

"Look," she started, running a hand through her short hair, "I'm sorry, alright? I'm not usually this rude-"

"-Oh, no, you _are_."

She glared half-heartedly at him.

"-I've just had a...trying day, alright? And I –I have a lot of things on my mind, things that I don't really want to think about, but that are pretty serious all the same, if there is some truth in them." She frowned. "And I just don't understand how they could _stand_ to make such an agreement. With _them_ of all people! After all they've done...after every bit of trouble and carnage they have caused..." Her voice trailed off as she let out a frustration growl.

Her taller friend stared at her for a moment, waiting to see if there was anything else she wanted to say before he spoke up.

"What exactly are you speaking of?" he queried, when it became evident that she had withdrawn into herself and her thoughts. Her eyes were troubled when she looked up, troubled and uncertain, and it was only when he noticed she was shifting her weight from one foot to the other that he realized whatever it was _seriously_ troubled her. "Takiko?" he probed, gently.

Swallowing the worried, the _frightened_ lump in her throat, Takiko nodded at nothing in particular.

"What do you know of the...relationship between the Association and the Council of Ancients?" Her voice quavered, but she ignored it, hoping her friend would too.

Yamamoto Tetsushi stiffened ever so slightly, his brows furrowing.

"There is no 'relationship' to speak of. Certainly, they are on relatively polite terms with each other, but that is all."

The lump in Takiko's throat had just gotten somewhat bigger.

"So they aren't supposed to have access to the personal details and information of all the Hunters in the Association's service?"

For a moment, the tanned face in front of her was impassive, just for a moment –until it darkened quite suddenly.

"I think," said Tetsushi, as he moved away from her to sit down on the chair next to the one she had previously occupied, "that we should sit down before you go into any further detail."

She hesitated for a moment, though, the President's words coming back to her unwillingly. Would she be putting him in a dangerous position by telling him what she had...discovered? Yes, she wanted to speak to _someone_ about it, but that didn't mean she wanted to get them into trouble while she was at it!

_But then again_, she thought,_ unless that old hag has my apartment bugged, there's no way she'll _know_ I discussed this with someone else._

Nodding, she stalked towards the free chair and plopped herself down on it. Tetsushi was sensible; he'd be able to help her sort things out in her head.

But first, she'd extract a promise from him; a promise to not get himself involved in whatever was going on, even if she one day decided to investigate the matter further. For she wouldn't allow him to compromise his place in the Association –a place his family had occupied for many a generation.

* * *

**Later in the afternoon, at Cross Academy**

The four men were seated in the portion of Kaname's dorm suite that served as a little living room of sorts; the refreshed Chairman sharing the long, cushioned sofa with his friend, who was sprawled against the other hand with his arm thrown around the back; and Ichijou had perched himself on the arm of the plush armchair that his friend had settled into.

There were two glasses of wine on the table between them, one of them Kaname's and the other belonging to the Chairman (Ichijou had politely declined, saying he had just finished is supply of pocky, whereas Touga had sent the Pureblood a look that all but screamed 'are-you-mad?', which said Pureblood had taken to mean that he didn't want anything to drink).

"So," started the Pureblood, after the silence had gone on for quite some time, "I believe we all have questions that we would like answered." He stared at the Chairman, "And you seem to be the one with all the answers, Chairman."

Cross nodded.

"It is a long story," he admitted. "Relatively long."

"Then...perhaps we should start off simply," suggested the Pureblood, politely. "Such as... informing us who the girl you brought here is?"

"Her name's Yuzara," said Cross, looking a little nervous. "Kiryuu Yuzara."

Kaname knew that the dark haired Hunter was observing him like a hawk, and he resisted his initial urge to get a bit annoyed with the scrutiny.

"I thought as much," he murmured, instead. "It isn't that hard, what with the colour of her hair and eyes. They are an unusual combination." He paused, tilting his head to a side. "How, exactly, would she be related to...Kiryuu-kun?"

Touga snorted.

"No need to sound so polite, Kuran-_kun_," he said. "We all know of your mutual dislike towards each other." Kaname merely sent him an enigmatic smile before fixing his eyes on the Chairman once more, turning fast enough to see the troubled expression on his face.

"Her father was Kiryuu Hiro's brother," said the ex-Hunter, carefully searching for the appropriate words to use. "And before you ask, Kaname-kun, I do not believe that any of the Night Class students will be given a reason to...fear her. She...is not another Zero-kun."

The Pureblood raised his eyebrows.

"And the reason she attempted to attack me earlier was because...?"

Ichijou, who had once again been observing the two older men, wondered if he should be concerned by the uncertain expression that spread across the Chairman's face. He glanced at his friend before he continued.

"We wouldn't know, Kaname-kun," he said, quietly, knowing that he had to choose his wording carefully not only so that the Pureblood would be willing to go along with his plan, but also so that he wouldn't give his slightly unstable friend the chance to erupt and release the mixture of anger, frustration and guilt that he just _knew_ was gnawing at him.

Pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, he spoke once more. "But before we get to that, Kaname-kun, perhaps I should start at the beginning." He paused, collecting his thoughts. "The story of what happened to Zero is very well known, both amongst the Association and amongst the vampire society in general; Hiro and Yumi were attacked and killed by Hiou Shizuka, Ichiru...well, he... disappeared, and Zero was bitten."

Both Kaname and Ichijou nodded. "Hiro's brother, Ryu, was killed five years before that." The Chairman paused. "Ryu was also a Hunter, although he did his best to remove himself from active duty a few years after his daughter was born. For...reasons unknown to most, he went into hiding when Yuzara was seven years old. He told no one where he would be hiding." Cross felt Touga tensing beside him and refrained from sending his friend a reassuring smile, knowing that he wouldn't appreciate the action, especially not in the present audience. "One year later, the Hunters' Association received word that some vampires had found out the Kiryuus' location, and were planning an attack on them. At the time, I wasn't as involved with the Association as I had been –as you know, Kaname-kun."

"Indeed."

"A small group of Hunters were sent out to see if Ryu and the family were alright, and when they arrived at the house, it..." The Chairman trailed off for a moment, before taking in a quick breath. "...Ryu and Sakura were...dead." He paused once more, uncertain as to what exactly it was that was making him so hesitant to speak –it wasn't as though he was _there_ to see it. He just heard about it from those who had been there.

Touga snorted at his friend's behaviour.

"What he's trying to say is that there weren't much of them left," he said, his voice sounding casual, even though Cross knew that that was nowhere near to what he was actually feeling. "They had first been incapacitated, and then bitten. More than once –probably by more than one attacker. And then they were killed."

Kaname nodded, his eyes fixed on the Hunter's sole blue one.

"And you know this, how?"

Touga didn't look away from the Pureblood's gaze.

"I was one of the Hunters sent to check up on them." Kaname saw the brief glint in the blue eye and chose not to comment on it any further. It seemed as though the dark haired Hunter had been...close to the deceased.

"I am sorry," he said, instead, bowing his head slightly as though to emphasize the statement. He didn't need to do it, mind you, but felt it appropriate. The Hunter shrugged in reply.

"What happened to Yuzara-san? Where was she when this happened?" questioned Ichijou, suddenly. He looked sheepish when the older gentlemen looked at him. "Ah, I'm sorry, you don't have to-"

Cross shook his head.

"Yuzara was with her parents. As there was...no evidence at the scene to determine if she had perished along with her parents _or_ to suggest that she had managed to escape, the Association announced her as dead." He briefly glanced at his friend. "Those who still had some hope for her continued to search for her, but gave up when it was realized that there was nothing more that could possibly be done."

Touga mumbled something under his breath but was otherwise silent. "A few years after that incident, as I continued to...delve further into the Association's business and its dealings, I began to wonder if Yuzara actually _did_ perish with her parents. Something about the incident, coupled with the...information I was beginning to gather made the whole situation seem somewhat odd. What was Ryu hiding from? _Why_ was he hiding in the first place? And...what would vampires want with him, for he had stopped his active duty as a Hunter for a while before he was killed."

He shook his head slowly. "It was all very suspicious, but no matter how hard I searched, I could not find proper, conclusive evidence. And then with the founding of this Academy..." he trailed off. "I am afraid that I got side-tracked for a while."

"Which you cannot be held responsible for," commented Kaname, easily. "You were doing some very important work, and could not afford to be...distracted by anything else."

"Not that I'm saying Kaien _is_ at fault, but really Kuran...to call this matter a _distraction_?" There was a steely note in the Hunter's voice as he stared directly at the Pureblood, his aura changing. Ichijou and Cross glanced at each other before the Chairman shook his head at his friend.

"Touga, please don't start something here." With another hard glance at the Pureblood, Touga huffed and looked away, crossing his arms across his chest. Deciding that it would be best if he finished this as fast as he could, and get his friend out of the Moon dorm, he continued. "In any case, I heard of a few rumour around a year and a half ago, about a girl with silver hair." He nodded at Kaname, "As you said yourself, that hair colour is not a common one, and it had me thinking again about the possibility of Yuzara not being dead." He sent his friend an apologetic glance. "I did not inform anyone of my suspicions because I did not want to create a sense of false hope."

"Of course," reasoned Ichijou, looking very interested.

* * *

**Meanwhile:**

As he got out of bed after having laid there for half an hour, trying to fall back asleep, Aidou decided that this was not a very good day for him. Not only had he been woken up at that ungodly hour –by Ichijou, as his cousin had informed him- but he was now unable to sleep. And whenever he didn't get enough sleep, he was cranky, and restless –and oh dear _lord_ he would have to deal with his fan-club's high pitched screaming and squealing.

_Oh someone just shoot me_, he thought, before hurriedly retracting the thought. _Nuh-uh, no way. Heh, wouldn't it be funny if Kiryuu popped up here right now, ready to shoot me with that god-awful weapon of his?_

No, he decided, sourly, that wouldn't be funny.

Sighing as his thoughts turned cranky, he finally came to another decision and got out of bed; quietly, so as not to wake up his cousin. Too lazy to change out of his pyjamas, he slowly left his room.

Blinking a little to get adjusted to the darkness of the hallway, he began to make his way towards the stairs, when his nose picked up a different scent. Pausing, he raised his nose in the air and –throwing aside all dignity- sniffed.

_Human_, he thought, _and familiar, but who –ah. Old man Cross._ He briefly wondered why the Chairman would have been in the Moon dorm, but shrugged; it wasn't entirely unusual after all.

But that other scent...his eyes widened slightly. _The Hunter...! What would _he_ be doing here?_ Even though the thought of the Hunter's presence in the Moon dorm alarmed him, he knew that there wasn't much of a reason to get agitated over it. The Hunter had been teaching at the school for a while now, and although his attitude could do with a lot of improving, he hadn't made any move against them, so he couldn't be that bad, right?

Still, as precaution, he closed his eyes and concentrated until he caught the scent of the Night Class' President, up in his quarters. He was alive then, good, good.

Shaking his head at his behaviour, he continued towards the stairs, walking passed one room that served as a store room of sorts for Ichijou's manga, and then another one that he knew to be empty since the girls staying in it had left over a year--

_What the-? A human? In _there_? _His blue eyes narrowed as he stared at the closed door. _Definitely not Cross. Is it Kiry –no, the scent is off..._

He wanted very much to barge into the room and demand from the human what he or she was doing in the _Moon dorm_ –and perhaps have a little nibble or two?- but he remembered all too well what had happened the last time he had...done that to a human, to a girl of the Day Class. Kaname-sama hadn't been happy at all. He gulped inadvertently, deciding that he didn't want to risk facing his leader's wrath.

Shooting the door one last look, he turned and headed back in the direction he had come from. Maybe he'd wake Akatsuki up? And ask for his opinion before running to Kaname-sama? Akatsuki always did give reasonable advice –if he'd only take the effort to follow it.

Or should he just go to Kaname-sama first?

Argh, decisions, decisions...and meanwhile, the human was still in there...

* * *

"Just last week, I finally found some...evidence. At the Association." Both vampires saw the interest in the Hunter's eye as he looked to his friend as well as the Chairman's wary look at him. "They were in the form of reports that had no names in them except for the one they were addressed to; the President of the Hunters' Association." He sent his friend another wary look. "The reports did not have much information on them, simply having a line or two in each, referring to a water-lily." At the quick intake of breath from his friend, the Chairman smiled wanly, knowing his reason for it.

"I would assume this...water-lily to be...Yuzara?"

"Yes. Her father often used the name as a...form of endearment, of sorts. And only very few people knew of that." Cross sighed. "In any case, what I gathered from the letters was that the Association had known that she was alive, that she had not perished, but chose to keep it hidden."

"Cruel," murmured Ichijou, and the Chairman agreed with him.

"It seems that she was to be of some sort of use to them," he said, frowning. "Unfortunately, the reports said nothing of what that use was..."

"But we found out what it was earlier, didn't we?" questioned Touga, his voice harsh. "The Association wanted a puppet, preferably a _Kiryuu_ puppet." The Hunter's aura darkened. "They said that the Association only...actively became involved with her four years ago, after Shizuka wreaked her havoc on Zero and his family. It seems that they had wanted to use Zero as the puppet, but as he was taken in by Kaien, they wouldn't be able to do that. So they...focused on Yuzara instead."

Kaname nodded.

"It makes sense; Kiryuu wouldn't be easily influenced while in the Chairman's care," he murmured. "But how did you find out that this was their goal, Yagari-sensei?"

The man's eye darkened.

"The Association had placed spies in the town Yuzara had been kept in; and she was guarded by a handful of Hunters. Unprofessional ones, I'd say, to give out so much information to people."

Ichijou had put two and two together.

"So that is why you were injured," he commented.

The Chairman nodded. "How did you manage to escape without them following you?" Cross' gaze fell to his knees.

"We killed them." Ichijou's eyes widened at that, although his friend was not surprised; after all, they would have had to have done _something_ to make sure that they didn't inform the Association of what had happened. What interested the Pureblood was the fact that the two men were willing to kill members of their own Association, for the female Kiryuu. Especially the Chairman –the man who had sworn to not kill again, unless, of course, his life was being threatened –or the life of someone he cared for.

And just like that, he hit the nail on the head. The Chairman _cared for her_, greatly, from the looks of things. He knew not of what their relationship had been when she had been younger and her parents had been alive, but he was still concerned. Just how far would the man go to keep her safe, to protect her?

For if matters with the Association became more troublesome, if matters involving the girl became more troublesome, would the man neglect his other, more important duties? Duties such as ensuring the protection of his precious Yuuki? He could sense even now that the man –both men, in fact- felt some form of guilt for the girl's predicament, and he thought that dangerous, for it was that type of guilt that led a person to do anything and everything he could to protect, to nurture...and in this case, the urge would be towards one Kiryuu Yuzara.

If the price of her protection was going to be Yuuki's protection, then he would be forced to step forward. To do something about it. To _prevent it_ from happening.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a sudden realization. Rich brown eyes widened ever so slightly as they stared at the...sly expression on the Chairman's face, and as the full force of the realization hit him.

The man had planned this; every single thing had been planned beforehand.

He had mentioned to him the possible appearance of a new student, not mentioning which class she would be put into; that was because he had not been a hundred percent certain of her being alive, but if she _was _alive, he had not known if she had been turned into a vampire or not.

He had asked for a room to be prepared in the Moon dorm, making the request seem casual...but it was not, oh _no_, it was _far_ from casual. If the Association really wanted to use Kiryuu Yuzara as a puppet –as evidence suggested- then they would search high and low for her once they learned of her rescue. They would eventually begin to suspect Cross as the culprit, since he had thwarted so many of their plans before, and would naturally find a way to see if she was located at the Academy. And if they _did_ send in a spy, they would fully expect her to be kept either in the Chairman's quarters, or with the Day class students; they wouldn't think of her being in the Moon dorm –at least, not at first. Even if they did ponder the possibility, they would not be able to _enter_ the Moon dorm to search for the girl, for that would be sending in Hunters to investigate a vampire residence, which would in turn break the terms set out in the peace treaty.

As for the icing on the cake, the shrewd man had to have known that he would not be too pleased with his actions, and with the fact that she was a _Kiryuu_ –for if he wished for her to be in the Moon dorm, he would have known he would have to give him an explanation first. The man had known that he could refuse to harbour her, a Kiryuu _and_ a human with the other vampires, but he had also guessed that he would fear for Yuuki's protection, should he keep the girl in his quarters.

The ex-Hunter knew that he would do all that he could to ensure that _Yuuki_ remained the main focus of the Chairman's protection and concentration, which was why he would not be able to refuse his eventual request of keeping her in the Moon dorm, for to keep her in the Moon dorm, under the protection of Kuran Kaname, would give Cross some relief and would therefore make it unnecessary for him to focus all of his energies on _her_.

The man had thought of all of this, even while unsure as to whether he would find the supposedly deceased girl or not.

_Clever, Cross Kaien,_ he thought to himself, as he saw the somewhat triumphant gleam in the Chairman's eyes –no doubt having realized that _he_ had realized what he had been doing, _very clever. You played your cards well, my friend, I will acknowledge that._

But one thing about Kaname was that he despised being used. By anyone. _It is gratifying, to know that you would trust me with her care, _he thought, _but I am afraid that I will not hesitate to act if she becomes a burden to Yuuki's protection. Or if she becomes of some use to further her protection._

"I have a request to make of you, Kaname-kun," said the Chairman, bringing the Pureblood out of his reverie. "I would like for Yuzara to remain in the Moon dorm for a while," continued the bespectacled male, earning a surprised expression from Ichijou.

"Stay here?" he questioned, "But-"

"-_What?!_" Yagari Touga had finally had enough of this. _"Here?_ Are you out of your fuckin' _mind_, Kaien? She can't stay here! She's human!"

"I am aware of that, Touga," said Cross, calmly, "and do watch your language in front of the students."

"Who _gives_ a damn about them?" questioned Touga, hotly. "I don't believe you –keep her here indeed! What do you reckon the other vampires will do to her when they find her? Treat her like a princess? Pamper her? Love her?" He punched a fisted hand into the opened palm of his other one. "They'll suck her dry, that's what they'll do!"

"Touga-"

"-No, don't you 'Touga' me. We lost her nine years ago, and that was painful. Are you asking me to put her in a position where she could be lost to us _again_?" He shook his head. "And she was there the night her parents were killed –who's to say she's not afraid of vampires?"

"She wasn't afraid of Kaname-kun," pointed out the Chairman. The Hunter faltered for a moment, remembering her strange behaviour.

"That was probably some...bad reaction. Who knows _what_ she's been through? The point is, you can't leave her with _them_, unprotected at that. It'll just be asking for-"

"-She won't be hurt if she is under the protection of Kaname-kun, will she?" questioned Cross, sending the Pureblood an innocent look although his eyes twinkled in merriment at the dark glance he shot him.

Touga's eye widened, as did Ichijou's as they stared at the Chairman and at Kaname respectively.

"But –he..._she_-" The Hunter stopped and suddenly turned around to stare at the closed door behind him. Ichijou knew the reason for this immediately, and he hopped of the arm of the chair he had been seated on.

"Aidou," he said, by way of explanation –although none in the room needed it. "I wonder what he wants..." He was halfway to the door when the knocking started.

"Kaname-sama? Are you in there?"

Signalling for Ichijou to halt, Kaname spoke up.

"What is it, Aidou?"

There was a slight pause, and when he next spoke, the Noble sounded like he was confused as well as troubled.

"There's an outsider in the dorm, Kaname-sama," he called through the door. "A human, from what I gathered. In our dorms. What should we do?"

The four figures in the room stared at each other in silence.

This would have to be dealt with very, _very_ carefully.

* * *

**A/N**

Whew, _much_ longer than the previous chapters, eh? Once again, I couldn't help it simply because I wanted to get this out of the way. For starters, we have some questions answered –the ones that Cross knew the answers to, that is- and then I really, _really_ wanted to have some sort of insight into Kaname's thoughts on the whole issue. I find his relationship with Cross to be interesting; they're close, and seem to be friends almost, and it is evident that Kaname is powerful...but then Cross would also have power over Kaname, simply because of the fact that he had looked after Yuuki all along, and, based on the recent manga chapters, that he had been protecting her from the Council and Association, and that he would _continue_ to do so. Kaname being...Kaname, would not want to lose Cross as an ally or friend, but even more so, he wouldn't want to lose him as Yuuki's guardian/other protector.

I hope that made sense; it's just my thoughts on the matter.

Anyways, I hope this chapter was...of a reasonable standard. I had some trouble with it, typing out different scenes before finally deciding on these.

See ya soon!

Siriusgirl1


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